DOW-UAP-PR057a is a Department of War video record released in PURSUE Release 02 on May 22, 2026. The Department of War lists the incident year as 2023 and the incident location as the Yellow Sea.12
How The Record Surfaced
The provenance note attached to this record states that 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. AARO identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network and cautions that many of them lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.1
What AARO Assesses The Clip Shows
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 it to a classified network in June 2024. In the 70-second clip an area of contrast enters from the left near 00:07, the sensor pans and cycles zoom levels, an area of contrast enters and becomes indistinguishable against the background, then becomes distinguishable again near center after a zoom, is tracked left to right, and finally transits the bottom third of the frame before the clip ends with no content. DVIDS hosts the matching public video entry and a direct MP4 rendition of the clip.34
What The Record Supports
DOW-UAP-PR057a documents a short infrared clip and its release path, not a resolved identification. An AARO comment notes this media is a duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR057b, alternately titled "[Platform] observes UAP in East China Sea 05 JAN 2023 INDOPACOM," with the discrepancy arising because two uploaders titled the same underlying material differently on a classified network. The object repeatedly blends into the background, and the description states it is informational only and not an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination. With an unsubstantiated chain-of-custody, the record remains unresolved rather than identified.1