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The U.S. Department of War has released a fresh tranche of documents relating to UFOs, which includes files regarding sightings in 2026.
Among the newly detailed encounters are accounts from two U.S. government special agents, including an afternoon incident documented with thermal video footage showing two slow-moving "black-hot" infrared anomalies
"Today, the Department of War is publishing the fifth release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE)," said Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman.
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The tranche also includes civilian encounters. One witness reported three separate sightings within a five-hour window somewhere in the western United States. Additionally, a phone interview from a civilian logged similar incidents which were backed up by a second witness.
Together, the files demonstrate that federal investigators actively documented and analyzed real-time UAP reports this year. In many cases, the exact dates and locations have been redacted to "protect the identity of eyewitnesses, the location of government facilities, or potentially sensitive information about military sites not related to UAP."
Images Reconstruct Reported 2026 UAP Sighting
Friday's release included several digital renderings of a reported 2026 incident in the Western U.S.
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One of them depicts a nighttime desert landscape with rocky terrain and mountains in the background. A silhouetted figure stands beside a parked vehicle while a trio of bright red lights appears suspended in the sky above the mountains.
Witnesses spotted a red light above a nearby mountain range, according to an accompanying FBI record. They initially believed the light was located on the mountainside, but said it began moving eastward and appeared to be thousands of feet above the ground.
After about 15 minutes of observation, they reported that six to 10 additional red lights appeared directly above their location. The witnesses said the lights then appeared to "sync up" and travel together toward the east-southeast.
During the sighting, one of the lights was said to descend rapidly before disappearing, while the remaining lights continued moving across the sky until they eventually vanished from view.
They were based on firsthand descriptions provided by "two U.S. persons," and the renderings were prepared by the FBI, the Defense Department said.
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Another rendering depicted a bright, elongated object streaking downward above a mountainous desert landscape. Presented through what resembles a binocular view, the image depicts a luminous trail descending from the sky toward the horizon.
‘Black-Hot’ Objects Spotted on Thermal Camera
Another FBI report details a 2026 incident in which a witness using a thermal optical device observed two unidentified objects moving slowly above a mountain range. The witness spotted a dark object in the sky, followed by a second object appearing nearby.
The two objects appeared to travel together at the same speed for roughly five to 10 minutes before disappearing from view, said the report. The witness recorded photographs and video of the objects but said they were unable to estimate their direction because of the distance involved. Both the exact date and location appear to have been redacted.
Footage released alongside the report features two, slow-moving areas of contrast registering as "black-hot" in infrared imaging.
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Thermally Elevated Aerial Object
Another document in the release details a 2026 observation by U.S. Government Special Agent who reported spotting what was described as a "thermally elevated aerial object" while conducting surveillance in the western U.S.
According to the agent's written statement, the object appeared in roughly the same area and along a similar flight path as an object observed the previous night. The agent said the object appeared "hot" on thermal sensors and was traveling southbound.
To provide a point of comparison, the agent also recorded a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter operating in the area and estimated the unidentified object appeared to be roughly half the helicopter's size.
The report states that the object's distance prevented the agent from identifying its physical characteristics, configuration or means of propulsion, and it eventually disappeared from view behind terrain. Again, the exact date and location, appear to be excluded.
Three Sightings Over Five Hours
Another report describes a prolonged 2026 encounter in which two witnesses reported seeing multiple unexplained red lights over the course of roughly five hours.
The first sighting occurred between about 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., after the witnesses pulled over during rainy conditions with heavy cloud cover and observed dull red, "dash"-shaped lights moving along a mountain ridgeline. Those lights disappeared after about 20 minutes, according to the report.
Another light was visible "directly above" their location for around 10 minutes before it, too, disappeared, it said.
Later, sometime between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., the witnesses reported another episode, saying similar lights appeared much closer to their position, including one estimated to be about 500 feet above their vehicle and another that appeared to stop roughly 6 feet off the ground.
Another unusual event followed, when one witness reported seeing a glow descend into a dry wash about 100 meters behind them and move through it.
Additional files would be released "on a rolling basis," the Defense Department said, adding that it was working with agency partners on the next release.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Trevor Davies.
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