A hot object "flies" through the sensors during a Griffin missile shot near Ayn al-Asad (20 September 2024)
On 20 September 2024 an armed overwatch aircraft (originator "SOTU 016") was calibrating weapons in the restricted operating zone around Ayn al-Asad Air Base, Iraq. Between release of an AGM-176 Griffin missile and its impact, the weapons systems officer and combat systems officer saw an unidentified object "fly" through the aircraft's sensors at high speed. It created an infrared lens flare on both the MX-20 and MX-25 sensor turrets, which the crew read as a significant heat source. Its path appeared predetermined, not a reaction to the aircraft. The crew could not tell whether a second object separated from it just before it left the field of view. They kept lasing until the munition hit its target and did not see the object again. The report gives no explanation. *Method note: war.gov blocks this server. Each mission report was read from the original PDF served by the ufotransparency.com mirror. Quotations come from the PDF text layer and were checked against the page images where the scan is poor. Redactions are shown as [redacted]. Field names such as "Observer Assessment of UAP" are the form's own labels.*
Evidence, in date order (2)
- 20 Sept 2024Armed overwatch aircraft (SOTU 016) mission report (Department of War)documentofficial report DOW-UAP-D28 logging the UAP DOW-UAP-D28 original file, via mirror
- 20 Sept 2024MX-20 and MX-25 sensor turretssensor datainfrared lens flare on both turrets as the object crossed DOW-UAP-D28 original file, via mirror
How plausible · High
Two crew officers and two sensor turrets recorded a hot object crossing during a missile shot.
- ●●Access The ISR crew tracked it on their own sensor.
- ●●No gain sought An official reporting form.
- ●●Checkable details check out Released in PURSUE.
- ●●Physical traces or official reaction Sensor track with video confirmed.
- ●●Independent convergence Two officers, two turrets.
- ●○Restraint Describes motion and signature, no explanation.
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
- "CREW OBSERVED AN UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA DURING ITS PGM SHOT (SEE UAP 1)." (DOW-UAP-D28, p. 1)
- "PERFORMED A WEAPONS CALIBRATION, HAVING RELEASED 20x105mm, 101x30mm, 1xAGM-176." (DOW-UAP-D28, p. 1)
- "AFTER WEAPONS RELEASE, THE WEAPONS SYSTEMS OFFICER (WSO) AND COMBAT SYSTEMS OFFICER (CSO) OBSERVED AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT "FLY" THROUGH THE AIRCRAFT SENSORS AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE UAP CREATED AN IR LENS FLARE ON THE MX-20 & MX-25 SENSORS, WHICH INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT HEAT SIGNATURE COMING FROM THE OBJECT." (DOW-UAP-D28, p. 6)
- "IT IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME WHETHER AN OBJECT DETACHED ITSELF FROM THE PRIMARY UAP IMMEDIATELY BEFORE LEAVING THE SENSOR FIELD OF VIEW. THE CREW MAINTAINED LASER ENERGY UNTIL THE MUNITION IMPACTED ITS DESIRED TARGET." (DOW-UAP-D28, p. 6)
- "PATH OF MOVEMENT APPEARED PREDETERMINED AND NOT IN RESPONSE TO" (DOW-UAP-D28, p. 6)
- "UAP FLEW THROUGH (b)(1)1.4a SENSOR IN BETWEEN MUNITION RELEASE AND MUNITION IMPACT" (DOW-UAP-D28, p. 5)