The pilots tried to pursue it. Later, they saw orange lights appear beside the helicopter and above fighter jets.
During a search in the mountains, a glowing object came very close to a helicopter, split apart, and vanished. Orange lights later appeared beside the helicopter and above fighter jets.
A first-hand written narrative by an unnamed currently serving senior U.S. intelligence officer recounting a late-2025 helicopter mission to investigate loud thuds and reported UAP sightings near a sensitive U.S. military test range in the Western United States. The officer describes flying a low-altitude nap-of-the-earth route, finding only weapons-test debris and a large cave, and then over an hour of close UAP encounters involving a fast low-flying object that split in two, swarms of orange orbs, and orbs appearing to flare in formation above and near both the helicopter and a flight of fighter jets. The document includes a May 26, 2026 correction note fixing a typographic error from "map-of-the-earth" to "nap-of-the-earth."
Helicopter mission departed the JOC during early evening daylight to investigate loud thuds in the mountains coinciding with UAP sightings over prior nights. Flew a low-altitude nap-of-the-earth route for several hours; debris inspected turned out to be remnants of rockets and projectiles from years of weapons testing. Discovered a large cave entrance with no visible end and orbited it for observation.
After radar detected hits up range, the helicopter altered course to intercept. A ground team reported a UAP on FLIR described as 'super-hot,' low to the ground, moving east then south at high speed; the object split into two and changed direction. The object rose from the ground, approached within ten feet of the helicopter, dropped below it, then sped away; pilots observed through NVGs and saw it split into two with a smaller object emerging before accelerating out of sight. The helicopter briefly pursued but broke off, unable to match its speed.
Hovering at ~700 feet AGL, the crew saw countless orange orbs swarming in all directions against the mountain backdrop for several minutes before fading. Redirected to a prior position on fresh radar hits, they observed through NVG and naked eye two large oval orange orbs with white or yellow centers flare up side-by-side, stationary just above the rotor disk to the right, emitting light in all directions. A third and fourth orb flared below forming a four-or-five orb 'T' formation, then dimmed in reverse order and vanished; the event lasted 10-15 seconds. The author took no photos, being focused on threat assessment.
Fighter jets launched on a training mission entered visual range at about 23,000 feet AGL, identifiable by blinking navigation lights. The same type of orbs appeared directly above the fighters, flaring up one at a time in a horizontal formation matching the jets' speed and flight path, then dimming sequentially and disappearing; this repeated several times as the jets transited and landed. The author remarked the orbs seemed to be 'chasing' the fighters. Orange orbs also flared around the helicopter forming a distinct triangle before vanishing. Low on fuel, the crew returned to the JOC for debrief.
"What followed was a series of close UAP encounters lasting over an hour."
Speaker: Senior U.S. intelligence officer (author)
Why it matters: Firsthand framing of the scale of the encounter by a serving senior intelligence official
Page 1
"The ground team suddenly radioed that the object had risen from the ground, approached within ten feet of the helicopter, dropped below us, and then sped away."
Speaker: Senior U.S. intelligence officer (author)
Why it matters: Describes an extremely close approach of a UAP to a crewed helicopter
Page 1
"They were oval-shaped, orange with a white or yellow center, and emitted light in all directions."
Speaker: Senior U.S. intelligence officer (author)
Why it matters: Specific technical description of the orb morphology and luminance
Page 2
"I remarked to the pilots that it seemed the same orbs we had encountered were now “chasing” the fighters."
Speaker: Senior U.S. intelligence officer (author)
Why it matters: Suggests apparent intelligent or coordinated behavior of the orbs relative to military aircraft
Page 2
"I didn’t take photos, as I was focused on assessing what it was and whether it posed a threat."
Speaker: Senior U.S. intelligence officer (author)
Why it matters: Explains the absence of imagery from the helicopter for this firsthand account
Page 2
Senior U.S. intelligence officer (unnamed author)
First-hand narrator; helicopter passenger investigating UAP reports · U.S. Intelligence Community · Page 1
Western United States
Page 1
Sensitive U.S. military test range (mountain range), United States
Page 1
Joint Operations Center (JOC), United States
Page 1
Helicopter
aircraft · Page 1
Fighter jets
aircraft · Page 2
Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)
sensor · Page 1
Night Vision Goggles (NVG)
sensor · Page 1
Radar
radar · Page 1
Refueling tanker
aircraft · Page 1
Author, exact location, unit, and facility are deliberately unnamed in the narrative (USPER privacy / sensitive-facility protection) rather than visually redacted; manifest reports redacted_flag_in_manifest=false. Document carries a May 26, 2026 correction note fixing 'map-of-the-earth' to 'nap-of-the-earth.' This is a PDF text narrative; the related ground-based infrared imagery is a separate corpus record.
A personal statement by a senior U.S. intelligence officer, released to the public in May 2026.
No. The document describes what the officer and pilots saw but does not identify their source.
One evening in the fall of 2025, a helicopter was searching the mountains of the western United States. A senior intelligence officer, a colleague, and two pilots had set out to investigate loud sounds and reports of lights. After the colleague got off to meet a ground team, the helicopter continued with the officer and the two pilots.
As they prepared to return, the operations center reported that radar had detected targets in an area where lights had been seen on previous nights. The helicopter changed course. What began as a search turned into more than an hour of encounters: a glowing object approached the helicopter and split apart, followed by orange lights near the aircraft and in the sky.
A ground team radioed that it had seen a fast-moving object flying low, first east and then south. When the helicopter arrived, the team reported that the object had risen from the ground and come within about 10 feet of the helicopter. It then dropped below the aircraft and accelerated.
Both pilots saw the object through night-vision goggles. A smaller object emerged from it, and the two accelerated and disappeared in different directions. The helicopter tried to pursue them, but the pilots gave up when they couldn’t match their speed.
Later, the helicopter hovered over the mountains. The crew saw numerous orange lights in the distance, moving in all directions. They remained visible for several minutes, then dimmed and vanished.
After the helicopter returned to the area, two large orange lights appeared beside it, above the rotor blades. More lights then appeared below them, in a row that formed a T shape. They all remained stationary and gradually disappeared after 10–15 seconds.
Fighter jets arriving for a training exercise passed through the area. Similar orange lights appeared above them, one after another, in a horizontal line. They followed the same path and moved at the same speed as the jets, then dimmed and vanished. This happened several times as the jets crossed the area.
The account appears in a personal statement by an intelligence officer, released to the public in May 2026. The document does not identify the objects or lights or offer a conventional explanation for them.
The lights appeared above the jets and moved with them, then went dark.