Fighter Jets Saw Three Objects Not Detected by Radar

Two American fighter jets were flying over the Shaddadi area in Syria. The crew reported three possible objects in the sky at an altitude of about seven kilometers.

Radar did not pick up any signals from them, but another sensor provided an unusual detail: two white objects appeared prominent on it. About an hour later, the crew reported a possible balloon in the same area. These reports appear in a US Department of War document, released to the public in May 2026.

Three Objects, No Radar Signature

The report was filed during a mission involving two F-15 fighter jets over Syria. According to the document, the crew observed three possible objects in the Shaddadi area. The aircraft were at an altitude of about seven kilometers.

Radar did not pick up any signals from them. However, the report states that two white objects appeared prominent in an infrared sensor image. Such a sensor detects radiation invisible to the naked eye, often associated with heat. The document does not describe the shape of the objects or explain what caused them to stand out. It also does not specify what was observed regarding the third object.

This is what the crew stated in the mission report submitted to the US military. The report also noted that the crew members experienced no health effects. It contains no description of a chase or an attempt to approach the objects.

An Hour Later: A Possible Balloon

About an hour after the initial report, the crew reported a possible balloon in the Shaddadi area. This time, the aircraft were at an altitude of about six kilometers. This report also included infrared sensor documentation.

The proximity in time and location is notable, but the two reports describe different things: first three possible objects, and later a possible balloon. The document does not state that the crew identified the balloon as one of the initial objects.

What Remains Unknown

It is unknown what the three objects were, or if the balloon seen later was related to them. The document does not offer a conventional explanation for the initial objects and does not specify why they stood out on the sensor.

Three objects in the sky. On the radar screen—silence.