DOW-UAP-PR057b, "[Platform] Observes UAP in East China Sea 05 JAN 2023 INDOPACOM"
▮ AI SYNOPSIS · Sonnet 4.6
DOW-UAP-PR057b is a 1-minute 10-second infrared video, incident date January 2023, associated with a U.S. military platform operating over the Yellow Sea within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility. The record was released May 22, 2026, by the Department of War under the PURSUE Release 01 program, following a March 2026 congressional request by eight House members for access to 51 potentially UAP-related records held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. AARO identified the material on a classified network, where it had been uploaded by an unidentified user in June 2024 under the title "Spherical UAP in clouds." The video shows an area of contrast moving through the infrared sensor frame across several segments, with the sensor actively panning and adjusting zoom.
This record is a confirmed duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR057a, differing only in uploader-assigned title. AARO explicitly notes the absence of a substantiated chain of custody, which limits any analytical conclusions about the footage's origin, authenticity, or provenance. No OCR text is available. The discrepancy between the record title's stated location (East China Sea) and the description's stated location (Yellow Sea) is unresolved in the available documentation.
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Redactions present in this record. Black bars protect identities of eyewitnesses, locations of facilities, or non-UAP-related sensitive material.
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.