What Do Iraq’s Official Military UAP Reports Reveal?

Introduction

The strongest officially documented U.S. military UAP cases linked to Iraq are not dramatic cockpit encounters or eyewitness stories. They are short infrared sensor recordings collected by military platforms operating in a heavily monitored combat environment and later submitted to the U.S. government’s investigative system. Two cases in particular — DOW-UAP-PR21 and DOW-UAP-PR23 — remain publicly unresolved despite formal review by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Their importance lies less in what they prove than in what they reveal about modern military uncertainty: even with advanced sensors, some objects cannot be confidently identified from the available data. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

These Iraq-linked reports occupy a narrow but significant category within the broader Iraq UAP record. Unlike highly publicised claims built mainly on anecdotes, the cases come with official descriptions, military provenance and government acknowledgement. At the same time, the released material is extremely limited: roughly ten-second infrared clips, sparse mission summaries and little operational context. That combination has fuelled debate while leaving the underlying questions unresolved. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying… [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

Which Iraq Cases Remain Officially Unresolved?

The two most clearly documented Iraq entries currently available through official U.S. government release channels are:

CaseDateRegionStatusDOW-UAP-PR21May 2022IraqUnresolvedDOW-UAP-PR23December 2022IraqUnresolved

Both were reportedly submitted by U.S. Central Command to AARO and consist of infrared imagery gathered from U.S. military platforms operating in the region. Each was later released through government-associated channels as an unresolved case rather than a resolved balloon, bird, aircraft or sensor error determination. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying… [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

That distinction matters. AARO has publicly released numerous cases that it subsequently attributed to balloons, migratory birds or conventional aircraft. The Iraq reports were not placed in those categories. However, unresolved does not mean extraordinary. It means the available information was insufficient to reach a confident identification. [AARO]aaro.milAAROUAP ImageryThe official website for the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)…

What Happened in DOW-UAP-PR21?

DOW-UAP-PR21 concerns a May 2022 incident in Iraq. According to the official description, U.S. Central Command submitted ten seconds of infrared footage from a military platform to AARO. An accompanying mission report identified the object as a “probable SU-27/35”. The released video reportedly shows two areas of contrast moving together near the centre of the sensor field of view. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

The case is interesting because the mission report itself appears to suggest a possible conventional explanation. The Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-35 are known military aircraft, and an initial operational assessment apparently considered that possibility. Yet the report ultimately remained unresolved rather than being formally classified as an identified aircraft. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

Several interpretations have been proposed:

None of these possibilities can be confirmed from the public material because critical contextual data remain unavailable. The released clip does not include sufficient information about range, altitude, velocity, sensor settings or supporting radar observations. Without those elements, outside observers cannot independently determine whether the “probable SU-27/35” assessment was likely correct or ultimately discarded during review. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

What Happened in DOW-UAP-PR23?

DOW-UAP-PR23 concerns a December 2022 incident in Iraq. Like PR21, it consists of approximately ten seconds of infrared footage collected by a U.S. military platform and later submitted to AARO by U.S. Central Command. The associated mission report reportedly described the object simply as “flying west to east”. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

The official description is notably sparse. Unlike PR21, there is no publicly released reference to a tentative aircraft identification. Instead, the object’s movement is described only in directional terms. That leaves analysts with little information beyond the existence of a thermal contrast detected by an infrared sensor. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

The case illustrates a recurring problem in military UAP analysis. Sensors can establish that something was present in the field of view, but establishing what it was often requires additional layers of information:

Almost none of that supporting context has been publicly released for PR23. As a result, the object remains officially unresolved while also remaining difficult for independent researchers to evaluate. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

Why Ten Seconds of Infrared Video Is Often Not Enough

The Iraq cases demonstrate the limits of infrared evidence when presented without technical metadata.

Infrared sensors do not record the world in the same way as ordinary cameras. They capture differences in thermal radiation, which can make distant objects appear as bright or dark spots rather than recognisable shapes. Factors such as atmospheric conditions, viewing angle, sensor mode and image processing can dramatically alter appearance. A small thermal contrast can look like a discrete object even when the underlying source is difficult to determine. [AARO]aaro.milAAROUAP ImageryThe official website for the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)…

AARO’s own public case catalogue repeatedly highlights these challenges. In several non-Iraq cases, apparent anomalies were eventually attributed to balloons, birds or ordinary aircraft after additional analysis. In other cases, AARO explicitly states that it cannot determine whether a thermal signature represents a physical object, a thermal reflection, an environmental effect or a sensor-related phenomenon. [AARO]dvidshub.netAll Domain Anomaly Resolution OfficeDOW-UAP-PR47, Unresolved UAP Report, INDOPACOM, 2023. 01.01.2023 | Courtesy Video. The United States…

This broader context is important when evaluating Iraq reports. The unresolved status of PR21 and PR23 does not automatically imply unusual flight characteristics. It may simply indicate that the released data were too limited for confident attribution.

Why Iraq Generates So Many Difficult Identifications

Iraq’s operational environment creates conditions that naturally produce unresolved military sightings.

Throughout the post-2003 period, the country’s airspace has included:

Objects detected within such an environment are not merely scientific curiosities. They represent potential security threats requiring rapid identification. An unknown thermal signature near a military installation may initially be treated as a possible hostile platform regardless of whether it later proves mundane. This operational reality helps explain why military reports are generated even when the evidence later proves ambiguous. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

The Iraq reports therefore sit at the intersection of intelligence collection and threat assessment rather than traditional civilian UFO investigation.

What the Official Record Does and Does Not Show

A common misunderstanding is that unresolved military UAP cases automatically represent evidence of advanced technology. The Iraq record does not support that conclusion.

The official releases establish several narrower facts:

What the released material does not establish is equally important:

In practical terms, PR21 and PR23 remain unresolved because the public record is incomplete, not because the objects have been proven extraordinary.

How the Iraq Cases Fit into AARO’s Wider Dataset

The Iraq reports are best understood as part of a larger pattern visible in AARO’s public releases. The office has increasingly published both resolved and unresolved examples, allowing observers to compare cases rather than treating every unknown object as equally significant. [AARO]dvidshub.netAll Domain Anomaly Resolution OfficeDOW-UAP-PR47, Unresolved UAP Report, INDOPACOM, 2023. 01.01.2023 | Courtesy Video. The United States…

That comparison reveals an important trend. Many infrared UAP reports ultimately involve ordinary objects observed under conditions that obscure their identity. Some remain unresolved because available evidence cannot support a confident conclusion either way. PR21 and PR23 currently belong to that second category. They are officially acknowledged military reports with documented chains of custody, but they remain evidentially incomplete. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying… [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

For researchers focusing specifically on Iraq, these reports remain among the most credible officially released UAP records from the country. Yet their strongest lesson may be methodological rather than sensational: even sophisticated military surveillance systems can produce genuine unknowns when crucial contextual information is absent. The unresolved label reflects a limit of available evidence, not a demonstrated discovery of something extraordinary. [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying… [DVIDS]dvidshub.net2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying…

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Endnotes

1. Source: dvidshub.net
   Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1006062/dow-uap-pr23-unresolved-uap-report-iraq-december-2022
   Source snippet

   2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as "flying...

2. Source: dvidshub.net
   Title: dow uap pr21 unresolved uap report iraq may 2022
   Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1006059/dow-uap-pr21-unresolved-uap-report-iraq-may-2022
   Source snippet

   DVIDSDOW-UAP-PR21, Unresolved UAP Report, Iraq, May 2022... video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022...

   Published: may 2022

3. Source: aaro.mil
   Link: https://www.aaro.mil/UAP-Cases/Official-UAP-Imagery/
   Source snippet

   AAROUAP ImageryThe official website for the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)...

4. Source: dvidshub.net
   Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/961723/unresolved-uap-report-middle-east-2023
   Source snippet

   Unresolved UAP Report: Middle East 2023The recording, captured in the Middle East in 2023, depicts an apparent thermal contrast within th...

5. Source: dvidshub.net
   Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/AARO/?ref=uaplogbook.com
   Source snippet

   All Domain Anomaly Resolution OfficeDOW-UAP-PR47, Unresolved UAP Report, INDOPACOM, 2023. 01.01.2023 | Courtesy Video. The United States...

6. Source: dvidshub.net
   Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/973055/pr-003-unresolved-uap-report-africa-2023
   Source snippet

   PR-003, Unresolved UAP Report, Africa 2023In 2023, the United States Africa Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous pheno...

7. Source: dvidshub.net
   Title: dow uap pr091 21 aug callsign observes uap persian gulf
   Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1007716/dow-uap-pr091-21-aug-callsign-observes-uap-persian-gulf
   Source snippet

   DOW-UAP-PR091, "21 AUG [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP in...AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “21 AUG 2020 [CALLSI...

Additional References

1. Source: youtube.com
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IfPiOl-9Sk

2. Source: instagram.com
   Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYFY3veCKCR/
   Source snippet

   Central Command and submitted to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, known as AARO, this is five seconds of infrared footage...Rea...

3. Source: war.gov
   Link: https://www.war.gov/ufo/
   Source snippet

   e first tranche was released on May 8, 2026.Read more...

   Published: May 8, 2026

4. Source: reddit.com
   Title: dowuappr21 unresolved uap report iraq may 2022 x
   Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1t77kua/dowuappr21_unresolved_uap_report_iraq_may_2022_x/
   Source snippet

   DOW-UAP-PR21, UNRESOLVED UAP REPORT, IRAQ...... video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022.... The o...

   Published: may 2022

5. Source: gizmodo.com
   Title: can you find the ufos in these newly released pentagon videos 2000756275
   Link: https://gizmodo.com/can-you-find-the-ufos-in-these-newly-released-pentagon-videos-2000756275
   Source snippet

   Date taken: December 1, 2022. From the Department of Defense description: The United...Read more...

   Published: December 1, 2022

6. Source: facebook.com
   Link: https://www.facebook.com/100092714784072/posts/official-declassified-media-file-dow-uap-pr050-titled-4-uap-formation-iran-26-au/910837742016710/
   Source snippet

   Iran 26 Aug 2022 over water [CALLSIGN]." This footage was identified...

7. Source: facebook.com
   Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1122660853038619/posts/1342276961077006/
   Source snippet

   ers reported unusual UAP movement patterns or flight characteristics...

8. Source: reddit.com
   Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo/comments/1th0844/i_made_a_short_analysis_comparing_the_iraq/
   Source snippet

   and comparing it with a few other alleged jellyfish-shaped or...

9. Source: instagram.com
   Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYN05-cDVPc/
   Source snippet

   minutes of official infrared telemetry from a 2023 mission...

10. Source: instagram.com
    Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTxCNghiFNz/
    Source snippet

    ) Date: December 1, 2022. Status: Unresolved UAP Report...

    Published: December 1, 2022