2008 · Defense Intelligence Agency
AAWSAP and AATIP: the secret Pentagon study
Sen. Harry Reid to Deputy SecDef William Lynn, 24 June 2009: asks for a restricted Special Access Program for parts of the "Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification Program (AATIP)". · U.S. Senate (Harry Reid); DIA FOIA release via The Black Vault
- What it was: A Defense Intelligence Agency study, pushed by Senator Harry Reid, that paid Robert Bigelow's company BAASS $22 million to investigate UFO cases worldwide and the strange events at Skinwalker Ranch.
- What is on the record: The Pentagon contract papers and 38 commissioned technical papers on topics like warp drives and antigravity; 37 of them were released in 2022.
- What insiders claim: Former program manager James Lacatski says the US has 'craft of unknown origin', and Puthoff and Davis say the program studied recovered materials. None of this appears in the released papers.
- Latest: In a 29 September 2026 letter to Bigelow, DIA said it had located the program's long-missing reports and would redact and release them. George Knapp expects them in batches, perhaps one or two by the end of 2026.
When2007 – 2012
WhereDefense Intelligence Agency
Backing6 independent
Witnesses1 named
Evidencedocuments, official records
At Senator Harry Reid's urging, the DIA awarded a $22 million contract to Robert Bigelow's company, BAASS, to study advanced aerospace threats. Researchers investigated UFO cases worldwide and the strange events at Skinwalker Ranch in Utah. They also commissioned 38 technical papers on topics like warp drives and invisibility. Part of the effort came to be called AATIP, which Luis Elizondo later said he ran.
Evidence, in date order (6)
- 2008Department of War (war.gov)documentAAWSAP statement of objectives, solicitation and original order war.gov: AAWSAP solicitation and original order, Sept 2008
- Mar 2010DOW-UAP-D128 (Kit Green's DIRD, March 2010)documentanalyzes injury to human observers by anomalous aerospace systems, citing 42 published and about 300 unpublished cases (mostly known RF and microwave exposures used as a stand-in) AAWSAP Defense Intelligence Reference Documents (DIRDs) released in PURSUE Release 06
- 2018DIA via FOIAdocumentlist of the 38 Defense Intelligence Reference Documents and released DIRDs AAWSAP Defense Intelligence Reference Documents (DIRDs) released in PURSUE Release 06
- 2024AAROofficialKONA BLUE history states AAWSAP and AATIP material remains in DIA archived holdings AARO, History and Origin of KONA BLUE (2024), Black Vault copy
- 9 Sept 2025George Knappwitnesssworn House Oversight testimony on the program's 27 months, DIRDs and 100+ papers George Knapp, written testimony to the House Oversight UAP hearing, 9 September 2025
- 29 Sept 2026DIAofficialletter to Bigelow saying it has located the OSAP reports and plans redacted release
How plausible · Very high
The Pentagon program is confirmed by contract papers, DIRDs and a 2026 DIA letter, and insiders speak firsthand; the recovered-craft claims rest on them.
- ●●Access Direct observation or instruments.
- ●●Cost of speaking Named on record.
- ●●Consistent over time Stable over time.
- ●●Character record Trained professionals.
- ●●Independent convergence Independent sources agree.
- ●●Checkable details check out Released official records.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
On the record
- The DIA contract with Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies, confirmed by the Pentagon.
- The list of 38 Defense Intelligence Reference Documents, released via FOIA in 2018.
- Knapp's House Oversight testimony (9 September 2025): 27 months, more than three dozen DIRDs and over 100 papers, some on health effects; none released by DIA.Bend, Oregon orb strike
- Vallée says he has no clearance or access outside the study, so he doesn't know where the warehouse is now.
- Scientists research: The DIA program of 2008 to about 2010, contracted to Robert Bigelow's BAASS, that produced 38 Defense Intelligence Reference Documents on far-future aerospace physics. Sergey Macheret of Lockheed Martin wrote DIRD 33 on MHD propulsion, the strongest documented UAP-program link on Igor's list, and one no press coverage has noticed. Sandia staff reviewed the first-year reports, and a 2009 slide said the program would 'likely become SAP by June 2010', the same window when McCasland ran DoD special-programs oversight.Hitchhiker effectBlue orb passes through a driver near DavisB-1-size triangle near Arkansas Nuclear One power linesBoomerangs, missing time and a military search near NAS FallonLockheed's 12 craftF-86D ordered to fire on a giant radar target near ManstonNorthern Tier200-ft rotating cigar stops a car at Port JervisLanding, entity and jet search grids at Versailles, Missouri
- DIRD 33, 'MHD Air Breathing Propulsion and Power for Aerospace Applications', DIA-08-1011-006, dated 21 Nov 2010, 33 pages, U//FOUO. Calls Ajax-style MHD bypass 'meaningless below at least Mach 12' and reverse energy bypass with a 'Virtual Cowl' 'potentially practical'.
Claims
Investigators experienced 'hitchhiker effects' from Skinwalker Ranch, as described in Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021).Hitchhiker effectsecondhandSourced, unconfirmedLacatski, Kelleher & Knapp
The program studied recovered materials.Hurt by UAP: the medical filesfirsthandSourced, unconfirmedPuthoff, Davis
AAWSAP built 'the largest known UFO database', a data warehouse of more than 240,000 case files including files from other governments, designed and overseen by Jacques Vallée and reportedly still used by U.S. agencies.Lockheed's 12 craftsecondhandSourced, unconfirmedGeorge Knapp (House testimony, 2025)
The program was cut off after about two years; Vallée had planned an AI-refined top 20,000 cases.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedJacques Vallée
The warehouse holds injury cases that have not been declassified.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedJacques Vallée
DIA has located the missing AAWSAP (OSAP) reports. Its letter to Bigelow (29 September 2026) says DIA understands BAASS does not object to disclosure of OSAP material held by DIA, cites the government's unlimited right to publish all data delivered under the contract, and announces it will redact and release them.Hitchhiker effectBlue orb passes through a driver near DavisB-1-size triangle near Arkansas Nuclear One power linesBoomerangs, missing time and a military search near NAS FallonLockheed's 12 craftF-86D ordered to fire on a giant radar target near ManstonNorthern Tier200-ft rotating cigar stops a car at Port JervisLanding, entity and jet search grids at Versailles, MissourifirsthandSourced, unconfirmedColm Kelleher, reading the letter on Bigelow's podcast
war.gov files on this case (7)
PDFAAWSAP Contract Modification P00001, September 2009DOW · Release 06 · 9/2/09
PDFAAWSAP Contract Modification P00002, February 2010DOW · Release 06 · 2/2/10
PDFAAWSAP Contract Modification P00003, May 2010DOW · Release 06 · 5/18/10
PDFAAWSAP Contract Modification P00004, May 2010DOW · Release 06 · 5/18/10
PDFAAWSAP Contract Modification P00005, September 2010DOW · Release 06 · 9/28/10
PDFAAWSAP Solicitation and Original Order, September 2008DOW · Release 06 · 9/22/08
PDFAAWSAP Statement of Objectives, July 2008DOW · Release 06 · 7/18/08
In The picture
The pictureIt isn’t just hardware. AAWSAP at Skinwalker Ranch, Stargate’s remote viewers, Swann’s Moon sessions, Nolan’s study of injured witnesses and the medical cases BAASS followed with blood work and scans all tie the phenomenon to the mind and the body. Insiders seem to have treated consciousness as part of the technology.
The pictureDisclosure is being managed. The 2017 New York Times story, the intelligence community’s own report finding 143 of 144 cases unexplained, the hearings from 2022 to 2025, the Disclosure Act being gutted and PURSUE’s seven releases in 2026, the latest carrying DIA’s own 2008 contract files on crashes abroad and a vault…
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Similar cases · sharing people, threads, topics or era
Connected cases
Hitchhiker effect 2009Bend, Oregon orb strike 2009Blue orb passes through a driver near Davis 2007B-1-size triangle near Arkansas Nuclear One power lines 2009Boomerangs, missing time and a military search near NAS Fallon 2009Grusch on Rogan 2026Lockheed's 12 craft 2009F-86D ordered to fire on a giant radar target near Manston 1957Northern Tier 1966NYT bombshell 2017Colares and Operação Prato: the FAB's Pará sightings file 1977200-ft rotating cigar stops a car at Port Jervis 2009Setka-MO 1978Governance Board 2026Hurt by UAP: the medical files 2012UAPTF 2020Landing, entity and jet search grids at Versailles, Missouri 2009
People and organizations
Bigelow Aerospace / BAASS orgKona Blue (DHS prospective SAP, 2011) orgNational Programs Special Management Staff (NPMS) orgAmy Catherine Eskridge personDr. Christopher Adams (as listed) personEric W. Davis personGeorge Knapp personHal Puthoff personHarry Reid personJacques Vallée personJames Lacatski personJay Stratton personJoshua K. LeBlanc personLuis Elizondo personMaj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland personDr. Ning Li personRobert Bigelow personDr. Sergey O. Macheret personAAWSAP DIRD 33: MHD Air Breathing Propulsion and Power for Aerospace Applications documentAAWSAP Defense Intelligence Reference Documents (DIRDs) released in PURSUE Release 06 documentBAASS Summary Report on UAP Analysis Capabilities (23 November 2010) documentBAASS monthly reports to DIA (March, April, June and November 2009) documentBAASS Project Management Plan for DIA (2 December 2008) documentBAASS Utah Ranch Investigation Report (April 2010) documentMUFON white papers prepared for BAASS (November 2008) documentThe new science of Unidentified Aerospace-Undersea Phenomena (UAP) documentAmerican Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology. By D. W. PasulkaIntimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO. By David J. Halperin documentProject Capella: the BAASS UAP data warehouse proposal (10 December 2008) documentPURSUE Release 07 (war.gov, 23 October 2026) document
Threads · click one to see it on the board
Sources
- AARO, History and Origin of KONA BLUE (2024), Black Vault copy
- Christina Gomez, UFO news update, 13 Oct 2026
- Mystery Wire (Knapp and Futrell, with Kelleher clips), October 2026
- Above The Norm News, 12 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia: Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program
- war.gov: AAWSAP statement of objectives, July 2008
Mentioned on (12)
- Documentaries: The Age of Disclosure
- Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels: Luis Elizondo: 'the deepest secret in human history'
- Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels: Luis Elizondo on MILABs, the missing scientists and Stargate
- Mystery Wire: Ask George: the Jellyfish under water, the Lockheed-Bigelow deal and why the secret is kept
- Reality Check: 'Archive X' and the impossible (Jeffrey Kripal)
- UAP Gerb: The Modern Day UFO Disinformation Agent - Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick's Lies
- UAP Gerb: David Grusch Fox Interview, Age of Disclosure, Sandia, Current Research, & QnA - UAP Gerb Live
- UAP Gerb: The State of Disclosure, Hanging with Ross Coulthart, Current Events & QnA - UAP Gerb Live
- UAP Gerb: Lockheed Martin - UFO Reverse Engineering, Material Exploitation, & Legacy Programs
- UAP Gerb: MOON DUST - The Pentagon's Secret UFO Programs
- UAP Gerb: Northrop Grumman & TRW - UFO Reverse Engineering, Material Exploitation, & Legacy Programs [Vol.2]
- UAP Gerb: Special Access Required - the Secrecy of UFO Crash Retrieval Programs [VOL.2]