Military Crew Member Reports Sighting at 550 Meters

During a surveillance flight over the Strait of Hormuz, a military crew member reviewed camera footage and reported seeing an unidentified phenomenon: something visible, but not identified.

The report estimated that the phenomenon was about half a kilometer above the ground. But the field meant to describe what was seen is blank. The form offers only a brief account of the sighting and how it was made. So what can we actually learn from this document?

A Sighting Mid-Mission

The incident took place on September 16, 2020, during a US Air Force surveillance mission. The aircraft was operating near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran. The sighting was recorded at 17:32 Coordinated Universal Time, the time standard used in military reports.

The form identifies the person who filed the report as an “operator,” a service member with a role in the mission. According to the record, the operator viewed the phenomenon in camera footage. The form lists one sighting and does not say whether anyone else saw it.

An Altitude, but No Description

The report gives an estimated altitude of about 550 meters. That is a concrete detail, but it does not tell us whether the object appeared large or small, bright or dark. There is no information about its shape or movement, either.

The gap is apparent in the form itself. One line records what was observed; another says how it was observed. The field for additional details about the sighting is blank. In other words, the document records that a crew member saw something but preserves no description that would help readers picture it.

What Kind of Document Is This?

This is a military mission report, a type of form the US military uses to document its operations. The Department of War released the record to the public. Some portions are redacted, but they are not needed to understand what the report says about the sighting: one line records it, with no further details.

What Remains Unknown

The report does not explain what the phenomenon was, what it looked like, or what happened to it afterward. It offers no conventional explanation and contains no details that would establish that it was an aircraft.