DOW-UAP-D56, Range Fouler Debrief, Arabian Sea, August 2020
▮ AI SYNOPSIS · Sonnet 4.6
DOW-UAP-D56 is a Range Fouler Debrief Form submitted by a U.S. Navy pilot assigned to HSM-73, reporting an incident that occurred on August 24, 2020, at approximately 00:04:30 Zulu, over the North Arabian Sea. The pilot, flying aircraft side number 705, reported visual contact with three unidentified small air contacts during routine operations. The objects appeared to have wings or an airframe structure and were initially observed on a westerly heading. The pilot tracked one contact before losing it behind a cloud; upon reacquisition, two additional objects were observed to the east. All three appeared to maintain consistent course, speed, and altitude. No radar track, IFF track, or electronic support detections were recorded.
The report is notable because standard sensor systems — radar, IFF, and electronic support — returned no data on the contacts, leaving visual observation as the sole basis for the account. The pilot's name, rank specifics beyond O-3, and contact coordinates are partially obscured. The form was processed through USCENTCOM MDR 26-0038 to 26-0046 and approved for release to AARO in March 2026. It represents a standardized Navy reporting mechanism applied to a UAP encounter in an active operational area.
▮ TOP WORDS IN THIS DOCUMENT
Redactions present in this record. Black bars protect identities of eyewitnesses, locations of facilities, or non-UAP-related sensitive material.
This document is a Range Fouler Debrief Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported an encounter with a group of three “unidentified small air contacts” over the North Arabian Sea. The reporter described the UAP as having “wings/airframe” structure, and as initially bearing on a westerly heading. The operator tracked one UAP before losing sight of it behind a cloud. Upon regaining contact, the operator reported observing two additional UAP to the east of the first. The report states that all three objects then “appeared to maintain their relative course, speed, and altitude.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.
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Range Fouler Debrief Form
Declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison
uscElease de not use the purple
Decla"submit" button above a Save and
email the complete file manually
(see below).
Please complete this form to the best of your ability. If you do not have the requested information,
please leave the field blank. If there was more than one "group," please report each on a separate
form for data collection purposes. You should receive a response within 5 business days.
Last Name, First Name
Rank
Squadron
SIPR Email Address
Crew Position
0-3
HSM-73
Pilot
This information is for contact only. SPEAR sanitizes all reports of identifying information.
Absolutely no identifying information for aircrew or squadron will be recorded for analysis.
08/24/20
Date (mm/dd/vy)
00:04:30
Time of detection
(hh;mm:ss Z)
Night
Day / Night
705
Side No.
168122
Buno
SSC
No
Mission Description (CAS, BFM, etc)
LFE?
21440
21440
1.4a
Contact Working Area
Contact Latitute
N/S
Contact Longitude
EW
(Ex: W-72 1A)
(DD:MM:SS)
(DD:MM:SS)
Please attempt to determine a Lat / Long for the contact at initial detection. We recommend
using JMPS to reference the sensor-derived bearing and range relative to the bullseye you had
in use. If that method is not available, any reasonable derivation of location will work, but please
be as specific as possible and make a note in the comments section. These locations may be
used to cue other means of tracking.
Contact Altitude
(Ex: 22000)
Yes
Altitude
Constant?
310
Wind Dir at
Contact Alt
(From)
Was the contact moving?
5
Wind
Speed
Yes
Direction/Speed
(Ex. 090/15)
270/UNK
Radar Equipped: Other
Stable Trackfile?: No
# of Contacts in "Group": 3
EA Indications (Check all that apply):
AlM-9x Self-Track:
ATFLIR Autotrack:
Tally Achieved:
ECM
Arc
Letter
Identifier
False
Trackfiles
Other/
Ambiguous
Please check all that apply:
Round:
Moving Parts:
Square:
Metallic:
Balloon-shaped:
Markings:
Wings/Airframe:
Translucent:
Other Shape:
Opaque:
Apparent Propuision:
Reflective:
Please use the field below to describe the contact and any interaction in your own words with as much
detail as possible. Please be sure to include any detail not included in questions above.
observed 3x possible unidentified small air contacts while conducting routine operations in the
North Arabian Sea. Negative ES, radar track, and IFF track. Distance to contact was unknown. Speed of
contact was unknown. Precise course of contact was unknown, but appeared to be on a westerly heading.
No interaction took place between
and the unknown air contacts. Initially observed 1x
unknown air contact and tracked it before losing sight as it went behind a cloud. When contact on the
unknown air contact was regained, 2x additional unknown air contacts were seen due east of the location of
the initial contact. All 3x unknown air contacts appeared to maintain their relative course, speed, and
altitude.
Don't use the purple "submit" button! Save this form with filename "Date _Squadron_RF.pdf" and email
it to
(b)(6)
(Also in the global). For troubleshooting, call (b)6)
Thank you for your time. Please ensure all display tapes are ripped for the entire time of interaction and
saved as a .wmv (Example: 4 May VFA-106 HUD.wmv). Squadron intel personnel shall upload those files
to the repository located at this link.
(b)(6)
USCENTCOM MDR 26-0038 to 26-0046
Approved for Release to AARO
03/27/26 000001