A U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft operating out of Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates observed two unidentified aerial phenomena during a single mission in October 2023, according to a declassified mission report released by U.S. Central Command on September 12, 2025. The document, designated DOW-UAP-D23 and declassified by USCENTCOM Chief of Staff Major General Richard A. Harrison, represents one of the few officially released military records to log UAP observations within a formal ISR mission narrative.
Mission Profile and Timeline
According to the declassified report, the aircraft — assigned to the 50th Attack Squadron (50 ATKS) under the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing and operating within USCENTCOM's area of responsibility — took off from Al Dhafra (ICAO: OMAM) at 0015 Zulu. Control was handed over from the Launch and Recovery Element (LRE) at 0030Z. The mission type is listed as a Joint STARS Reconnaissance (JSR) sortie conducted under Operation Spartan Shield, with the 609th Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) serving as the coordinating operations center under Air Combat Command.
The aircraft received a "professional guard call" at 0145Z, the significance of which is not elaborated upon in the released portions of the document. From 0150Z to 2019Z, the crew collected signals intelligence via an air handler system. Between 0155Z and 1837Z, the aircraft conducted imagery intelligence in support of Operation Spartan Shield, with specific tasking details redacted under exemption 1.4a.
Two UAP Observations Logged
The mission narrative records two discrete UAP observations during the flight. The first occurred at 0241Z and is referenced as "UAP Line 1" in the document; the second occurred at 0322Z and is referenced as "UAP Line 2." Both observations are attributed to the crew of the ISR platform. The substantive details of each observation — including description, altitude, bearing, and any associated sensor data — remain redacted in the released version of the document, citing classification exemptions including Section 3.5c and Privacy Act provisions under subsections (b)(6) and, in administrative sections, (b)(3) and (b)(4).
The aircraft was cleared to return to base at 1837Z, departed station at 1912Z, handed back to the LRE at 2019Z, and landed at OMAM at 2058Z. The report notes that full-motion video collected during the mission was exploited by DGS-2, a reference to a Distributed Ground Station responsible for sensor data analysis.
Document Provenance and Reliability Caveats
The report is classified as a Mission Report (MISREP) originating from the 50th Attack Squadron, with a stated declassification date of October 25, 2048 — suggesting the September 2025 release represents an accelerated declassification action rather than a scheduled one. The document carries multiple classification sources and associated caveats including NOFORN markings, though those caveats were lifted as part of the release. It was approved for release to the Mission Reporting Office under a FOUO and Privacy Act framework.
The point of contact listed is an Airman First Class assigned to the 50th Attack Squadron; a quality control contact is listed as a contractor assigned to PAROC, with further identifying details redacted. The declassification was authorized directly by MG Harrison as USCENTCOM Chief of Staff.
Several important limitations apply to this reporting. The source document originates from war.gov with an assessed trust rating of 60 percent, reflecting uncertainty about full document integrity and the extent of redactions. The two UAP log lines — the substantive core of the report's novelty — remain classified in the released version, meaning no physical description, sensor modality, or behavioral characterization of the observed phenomena can be confirmed from this document alone. The observations are formally recorded in an official military mission report, which is significant in itself, but the absence of unredacted detail prevents any assessment of what was observed.
USCENTCOM did not issue a public statement accompanying the document's release. UFOPress has submitted a follow-up request for the unredacted UAP line items under the Freedom of Information Act. No response has been received as of publication.