Updated August 28, 2026
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For decades, UFO researchers have asked the same question: What does the U.S. government actually know about unidentified objects operating in our skies?
In 2026, that question has taken on new significance.
The U.S. government has begun releasing substantial collections of previously classified and historical records concerning Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)—the official term now commonly used for what most people still call UFOs.
The newest release arrived on August 7, 2026, and includes military reports, documents and videos involving objects that investigators have not conclusively identified. Most intriguingly, newly released material includes military observations of objects described as “cold orbs.”
The releases are part of a new government transparency initiative known as PURSUE — the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. According to the government’s PURSUE portal, five separate tranches of material have already been released since May.
Five Major UFO File Releases in 2026
The release schedule has moved surprisingly quickly.
Government records show five batches so far:
| Release | Date | Documents | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release 1 | May 8, 2026 | 1.2 GB | 1.3 GB |
| Release 2 | May 22, 2026 | 70.1 MB | 5.6 GB |
| Release 3 | June 12, 2026 | 826 MB | 4.6 GB |
| Release 4 | July 10, 2026 | 227 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Release 5 | August 7, 2026 | 130 MB | 513 MB |
The government says additional material will be released on a rolling basis as records are located, reviewed and cleared for public disclosure.
Readers can explore the government’s collection directly through the official PURSUE UAP records portal.
The “Cold Orbs” Encounter
Perhaps the most fascinating material in the August release concerns unidentified objects observed during a military operation.
According to the government’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Central Command submitted footage recorded aboard a U.S. Special Operations Forces AC-130J gunship.
The footage consists of approximately 16 seconds recorded from an infrared sensor display.
An accompanying intelligence report described the unidentified objects as “cold orbs” approximately four feet in diameter.
Scientific American reported that the incident occurred during a September 2021 training exercise over the Gulf of Oman. The objects appeared as moving points on an infrared display and were described in an incident report as multiple unidentified aerial phenomena maneuvering erratically and in formation.
That doesn’t establish what the objects were—but the fact that military personnel documented the event and that the case remained significant enough to enter the government’s UAP system makes it noteworthy.
Important Limitation: This Wasn’t the Original Sensor Recording
There is an important detail that can easily disappear in sensational coverage.
The released video isn’t the original infrared sensor data.
According to AARO, someone recorded the aircraft’s infrared display using a cell phone. That means researchers are looking at a secondary recording rather than the native military sensor file.
AARO warns that this can introduce blurring, flickering and other visual artifacts.
That distinction matters. A strange movement visible in compressed or secondary footage isn’t automatically evidence of extraordinary propulsion.
At the same time, the accompanying military observations mean the footage can’t simply be evaluated as an anonymous UFO video uploaded to social media.
Some Cases Remain Officially Unresolved
Another important development is the government’s willingness to publicly categorize certain incidents as unresolved.
AARO’s public imagery database includes military cases in which investigators conclude that a physical object appears to have been present but available information isn’t sufficient for a definitive identification.
For example, one European Command case involving 2024 infrared footage was assessed with high confidence as depicting a physical object, although AARO said its observed characteristics were unremarkable and didn’t warrant additional analysis without new information. The case nevertheless remains unresolved.
This illustrates an important distinction:
“Unresolved” does not mean “extraterrestrial.”
It means investigators currently lack enough reliable information to determine exactly what produced the observation.
Possible explanations can include aircraft, drones, balloons, satellites, birds, atmospheric effects, sensor artifacts or other conventional phenomena.
But after those possibilities have been investigated, some incidents still don’t have definitive answers.
A National UFO Archive Is Taking Shape
Something arguably more important than any individual UFO video is happening quietly at the National Archives.
The National Archives and Records Administration has established Record Group 615: Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection.
The collection was created following requirements in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act and is intended to consolidate government UAP records for eventual public access.
Records have already been transferred from organizations including the FAA, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Office of the Secretary of Defense, NSA, State Department and FBI.
The law covers government records relating not only to UAP but also records concerning technologies of unknown origin and non-human intelligence, although inclusion under those search categories is not evidence that either has been discovered.
Explore the archive through the National Archives UAP Records Collection.
The Government Is Still Publishing UAP Reports
The document releases aren’t happening in isolation.
AARO’s congressional and press archive shows that the Fiscal Year 2025 Consolidated Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena was added on July 20, 2026.
This creates several parallel sources of UFO information: newly declassified PURSUE files, AARO investigations and imagery, annual government reporting, congressional oversight and the growing National Archives collection.
For researchers, that’s a major change from the fragmented UFO record of previous decades.
Does Any of This Prove Extraterrestrial Visitation?
No.
Nothing in the latest publicly released material constitutes verified evidence that extraterrestrial spacecraft are visiting Earth.
But that’s not the same as saying the releases are insignificant.
The documents establish that U.S. military personnel have encountered objects or sensor signatures they couldn’t immediately identify; some incidents have remained unresolved after review; multiple government agencies possess historical UAP records; and substantially more of that material is now being made available to the public.
Those are facts worth separating from speculation about their ultimate explanation.
What Happens Next?
The most interesting aspect of the 2026 disclosure effort may be that it isn’t finished.
The government says PURSUE requires coordination across dozens of agencies and the review of tens of millions of records spanning decades. Rather than waiting for the entire review to be completed, officials say cleared material will continue to appear in successive releases.
That means researchers should pay attention not only to spectacular videos but also to radar reports, intelligence assessments, witness testimony, photographs, sensor information and historical documentation that may provide context for incidents reported decades ago.
The UFO Question Has Entered a New Era
For most of modern UFO history, enthusiasts depended upon witness accounts, leaked documents, Freedom of Information Act requests and occasional government acknowledgments.
That landscape is changing.
There is now an official federal archive specifically dedicated to UAP records, a Pentagon office tasked with investigating anomalous encounters, and an active government program releasing historical and previously unavailable material.
None of that tells us that visitors from another world are responsible.
It does tell us something arguably just as interesting:
The search for answers is no longer happening entirely outside the government. The government’s own records are increasingly becoming part of the investigation.
And with additional PURSUE releases expected, the next significant UFO revelation may already be sitting in a government archive waiting to be reviewed and released.
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