New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): Large cache of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) has been released by the US Pentagon, which revealed decades of unexplained aerial sightings reported by astronauts, military personnel, intelligence officials and civilians.
Officials said that the released material does not constitute proof of extraterrestrial life and many incidents remain officially “unresolved” because of limited evidence, missing data or other explanations, including weather effects, drones, balloons or sensor distortions.
The declassified archive, published after a directive from US President Donald Trump, comprises over 160 files including military videos, infrared imagery, FBI memos, NASA transcripts and eyewitness accounts dating from the 1940s through 2026, according to multiple reports.
The release material includes military infrared videos of fast-moving unidentified objects, radar tracks of unusual aerial shapes and objects that reportedly changed direction at high speed.
The files document hundreds of mysterious aerial incidents across the globe, including sightings over North America, the Middle East, the East China Sea, Africa and the Mediterranean region near Greece.
The files also contained an object making sharp 90‑degree turns near the ocean surface very fast before disappearing from infrared optics sensors.
Military footage from Iraq, Syria and the UAE showed unexplained aerial objects moving erratically through the sky.
Transcripts and images from the Apollo Moon missions revealed an astronaut reporting of a “fairly bright light source” near the Moon during a 1969 debriefing.
Another reported seeing flashes of light and particles “sailing off into space”, while Apollo 17 astronauts observed bright tumbling lights during their 1972 mission.
Older FBI records had witness descriptions of disk-shaped, egg-shaped and cigar-like crafts hovering silently before accelerating away at high speed. There were also eyewitness accounts of small humanoid figures, described as around four feet tall, near unidentified craft, though the accounts remain officially unverified.
The files also contained a glowing “eight-pointed star-shaped” object from military footage, alongside several reports of unexplained aerial activity that investigators could not conclusively identify.
The documents were uploaded to a new public Pentagon portal dedicated to UAP disclosures, with further releases in subsequent phases. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the release aimed to increase transparency after years of public demand for disclosure.