2020 DOW-UAP-D61, Mission Report, Persian Gulf, August 2020

Page 1 --- Dectass1f1ed by MG Richard A. Hamson USCENTCOM Chief of Staff Dectass1fied on 22 January 2026 Misrep 4685903 Narrative ( • t AT 2307Z,[Mi]TOOK OFF FROM OKAS. AT 2320Zi~ HANDED OVER FROM…’ aiBriefing: ’## Document Overview

This document is a declassified Mission Report (MISREP) from the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), dated 22 January 2026. It details an airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission conducted by the 482nd Attack Squadron, including a brief observation of an “unknown formation.” The report was originally classified and has been approved for public release under USCENTCOM MDR 26-0019.

Source: Declassification header, page 1 OCR: “Dectass1f1ed by MG Richard A. Hamson USCENTCOM Chief of Staff Dectass1fied on 22 January 2026”; document type “Misrep” and administrative metadata.

What This Document Contains

• The mission operated from OKAS (likely Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait), supported NAVCENT operations in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, and involved the collection of signals intelligence (SIGINT) and imagery intelligence (IMINT).

• At 1527 Zulu time, the aircrew “OBSERVED IX UNK I FORMATION” and referred to a separate observation line for details, which is not included in this release.

• Full motion video (FMV) from the mission was exploited by DGS-1, and the report lists substantial flight hours, IMINT, and SIGINT collection statistics.

Source: Narrative section of page 1 OCR: “AT 15272,~OBSERVED IX UNK I FORMATION. SEE OBSERVATION LINE 1.”; also mission stats and administrative fields.

Key Observations

The sole UAP-related entry states: “AT 15272,~OBSERVED IX UNK I FORMATION. SEE OBSERVATION LINE 1.” The time likely corresponds to 1527 Zulu, and “IX” may denote a single (“1X”) unknown formation. The report directs to an “OBSERVATION LINE 1” for further specifics, but that line is not present in the declassified fragment, leaving the nature, duration, and sensor data of the observation unconfirmed.

Source: Narrative sentence at page 1 OCR.

Context & Significance

This MISREP is a routine post-mission summary from a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper (or similar ISR asset) operating under USCENTCOM. The reference to an “unknown formation” appears within a standard operational chronology, indicating that military aircrews log and report unidentified objects as part of normal procedure. Declassification in 2026 under a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) suggests continued public and official interest in such observations. However, without the attached observation details, this report does not advance specific UAP analysis beyond confirming that sightings are documented by the military.

Source: Administrative metadata: operation domain “AIR,” originator “482ATKS,” and declassification date; historical context of UAP reports in military ISR missions.

Evidence Assessment

What this document shows:

• A military ISR mission on an unspecified date recorded an observation of an “unknown formation” at a specific time, and the event was assigned a formal observation line for further documentation.

• The observation occurred during a mission that collected both SIGINT and IMINT, meaning sensor data likely exists but is not disclosed here.

What this document does NOT show:

• No description’ keyFindings: [] tags:
• DOW
• Mission Report
• Middle East relatedFiles: [] featured: false heroImage: /pdf-covers/dow-uap-d61-mission-report-persian-gulf-august-2020.png documentType: Mission Report region: Middle East decade: 2020s releaseBatch: Release 01 coverImage: /pdf-covers/dow-uap-d61-mission-report-persian-gulf-august-2020.png archiveId: DOW-UAP-D61,_Mission_Report,_Persian_Gulf,_August_2020 warGovUrl: https://www.war.gov/ufo/#DOW-UAP-D61, Mission Report Persian Gulf August 2020 officialDescription: ’--- Page 1 --- Dectass1f1ed by MG Richard A. Hamson USCENTCOM Chief of Staff Dectass1fied on 22 January 2026 Misrep 4685903 Narrative ( • t AT 2307Z,[Mi]TOOK OFF FROM OKAS. AT 2320Zi~ HANDED OVER FROM THE LRE.’ evidenceLevel: Sensor Data hasUAPObservation: true mentionsPhysicalEvidence: false mentionsBiological: false ocrQuality: high

[WARN] AI-Generated Summary: This summary is generated from publicly released government documents for informational purposes only. Always refer to the original document linked below for the complete unredacted record.

Document Overview

This document is a declassified Mission Report (MISREP) from the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), dated 22 January 2026. It details an airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission conducted by the 482nd Attack Squadron, including a brief observation of an “unknown formation.” The report was originally classified and has been approved for public release under USCENTCOM MDR 26-0019.

Source: Declassification header, page 1 OCR: “Dectass1f1ed by MG Richard A. Hamson USCENTCOM Chief of Staff Dectass1fied on 22 January 2026”; document type “Misrep” and administrative metadata.

What This Document Contains

• The mission operated from OKAS (likely Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait), supported NAVCENT operations in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, and involved the collection of signals intelligence (SIGINT) and imagery intelligence (IMINT).
• At 1527 Zulu time, the aircrew “OBSERVED IX UNK I FORMATION” and referred to a separate observation line for details, which is not included in this release.
• Full motion video (FMV) from the mission was exploited by DGS-1, and the report lists substantial flight hours, IMINT, and SIGINT collection statistics.

Source: Narrative section of page 1 OCR: “AT 15272,~OBSERVED IX UNK I FORMATION. SEE OBSERVATION LINE 1.”; also mission stats and administrative fields.

Key Observations

The sole UAP-related entry states: “AT 15272,~OBSERVED IX UNK I FORMATION. SEE OBSERVATION LINE 1.” The time likely corresponds to 1527 Zulu, and “IX” may denote a single (“1X”) unknown formation. The report directs to an “OBSERVATION LINE 1” for further specifics, but that line is not present in the declassified fragment, leaving the nature, duration, and sensor data of the observation unconfirmed.

Source: Narrative sentence at page 1 OCR.

Context & Significance

This MISREP is a routine post-mission summary from a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper (or similar ISR asset) operating under USCENTCOM. The reference to an “unknown formation” appears within a standard operational chronology, indicating that military aircrews log and report unidentified objects as part of normal procedure. Declassification in 2026 under a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) suggests continued public and official interest in such observations. However, without the attached observation details, this report does not advance specific UAP analysis beyond confirming that sightings are documented by the military.

Source: Administrative metadata: operation domain “AIR,” originator “482ATKS,” and declassification date; historical context of UAP reports in military ISR missions.

Evidence Assessment

What this document shows:

• A military ISR mission on an unspecified date recorded an observation of an “unknown formation” at a specific time, and the event was assigned a formal observation line for further documentation.
• The observation occurred during a mission that collected both SIGINT and IMINT, meaning sensor data likely exists but is not disclosed here.

What this document does NOT show:

• No description