DOW-UAP-PR057b, "[Platform] Observes UAP in East China Sea 05 JAN 2023 INDOPACOM

Official Conclusion

No analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination rendered by AARO; assessed as likely infrared sensor footage from a U.S. military platform.

Official Description

On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network. Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody. AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “Spherical UAP in clouds,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in June 2024. Video Duration: 1:10 Video Description: 00:00-00:06: No content. 00:07-00:08: An area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from left and exits near the center of the right side of the frame. 00:09-00:20: The sensor pans and cycles zoom levels multiple times. 00:21-00:31: An area of contrast enters the frame from the left side of the screen. The area of contrast becomes indistinguishable against the background. 00:32-00:34: The sensor zooms in. An area of contrast becomes distinguishable against the background near the center of the frame. 00:35-00:52: The sensor pans to track the area of contrast from left to right. 00:53-00:56: The sensor zooms in. An area of contrast transits the sensor field-of-view from left to right in the bottom third of the frame. 00:57-01:10: No content. This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. AARO Comment: This media is a duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR57a, alternately titled, “Spherical UAP in clouds.” This discrepancy exists because two uploaders titled the underlying material differently on a classified network.

Key Findings

• →AARO assesses the video was likely captured by an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023.
• →The video is a confirmed duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR057a, with the discrepancy arising from two different uploaders titling the material differently on a classified network.
• →The video was uploaded to a classified network in June 2024, over a year after the incident date, and many materials in this collection lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.
• →The infrared footage shows an area of contrast entering, transiting, and at times becoming indistinguishable against the background across approximately 52 seconds of active content within a 70-second video.
• →Eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records held by the Department of War and Intelligence Community on March 6, 2026, prompting AARO's identification of these materials.

Extracted Entities