
- The 2nd batch of Pentagon UAP files was released on May 22, 2026. What’s in them?
- This group of files contains mostly videos, with a few documents.
- The 1st batch was released on May 8, and the Pentagon says it will release new materials approximately every couple of weeks.
Pentagon UAP files: Part 2
On May 8, 2026, the U.S. government released the 1st batch of its UAP/UFO files. Now, on May 22, they have released the 2nd batch. While the first batch was both numerous documents and videos, the 2nd batch is mostly videos and some documents. There are also seven NASA mission audio recordings. The files are being released on the PURSUE website.
Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman, said:
Today, [we are] publishing the second release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files … The collection is housed on WAR.GOV/UFO, and additional files will be released on a rolling basis.
An initial file drop included photos and videos related to UAP sightings. #space
— NewsNation (@newsnation.bsky.social) 2026-05-22T11:58:06.263Z
The new Pentagon UAP files
Altogether, there are 64 new files. Six of those are PDF documents, 51 are videos and seven are audio files. And, as before, these are military video captures of possible UAP. That means they are almost always FLIR (Forward-Looking InfRared). And that’s why they are mostly black and white and the objects filmed often appear indistinct or washed-out.
That fact, of course, makes it harder to distinguish details and therefore identify the objects if possible.
And as has been the case all along, some of the videos do appear to show birds or balloons, etc. Plus, it should be noted that the files are being released “as is.” The government isn’t making any specific claims about any of them. To be sure, it’s likely that many of the videos show prosaic objects, since throughout the history of the UAP subject, the percent of anomalous and unresolved cases after analysis has only been from about 5% to 10%.
But some of the other videos are more intriguing.
As for the new documents, one from the Armed Forces Special Weapons Program (AFSWP) pertains to 209 UAP sightings of “green orbs,” “disks” and “fireballs” near the military base from 1948-1950.
Another one is from a still-serving senior U.S. intelligence official who reported similar phenomena near a sensitive U.S. military facility in late 2025.
All the new documents can be found here.
All the video files are available here.
Some interesting videos
The video from November 1, 2022, near Columbus, Ohio is interesting. The object, albeit indistinct, appears to tilt sideways and then “disappears” at the end. The description says:
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “IIR 1 655 S0053 23/Several Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Encountered In The Vicinity of Columbus OH,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Northern Command area of responsibility in November 2022. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in March 2023.
While there’s no way to know the true nature of the object in the video, it should be noted that observers have reported disk-type UAPs that “tilt and then suddenly fly off” for decades. That was particularly true in the 1940s and 1950s, when the UFO craze was first taking off.
More interesting videos
Another video in the newly released files, from June 1, 2024, shows a group of four oblong objects in formation traveling quickly over the ocean.
And another video, one of the clearer ones, shows a small spherical object flying across the landscape below. Some of the other videos show something similar. Could be a balloon, but as the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) had previously acknowledged, the most common UAP being reported by military personnel are small, metallic-looking spheres, sometime doing “unusual maneuvers.” But there just isn’t enough information known about this case to make any kind of determination.
One of the new videos showing an object that appears to tilt and then vanishes. Video via Department of War.
NASA audio files
In addition, there are seven audio files, from Apollo 12, Apollo 17, Mercury Atlas 7, Mercury Atlas 8, Mercury Atlas 9 and Mercury-Redstone 4. You can hear them here.
Pentagon UAP files solve a mystery
One of the videos seems to solve one mystery, though. In late 2023, three possible UAP were shot down by U.S. military planes in the week following the shootdown of a Chinese spy balloon. These were in both U.S. and Canadian airspace.
One of those was the object over Lake Huron. In the new files release, we finally see an video of that object (never released until now). Watch the video here.
NSA releases hundreds of UAP documents
There has been other UAP news recently also. Some of it might be more significant than the Pentagon file release.
First, on May 18, 2026, the National Security Agency (NSA) released hundreds of pages of historical UAP records. This was due to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeal by the Disclosure Foundation.
What’s most significant is that the Pentagon had previously classified many of the records as Top Secret Umbra, one of the highest levels of classification in signals intelligence. But the Pentagon retired the codeword Umbra in 1999. And, unfortunately, many of the UAP records are still heavily redacted despite being decades old. But visible portions do show:
- Radar tracking of unidentified flying objects
- Visual sightings
- Objects moving across large distances
- Altitude and heading information
- References to objects assessed in some entries as “probably balloons”
- Foreign or military reporting channels that remain substantially redacted
- Declassification markings under Executive Order 13526
- Redactions citing Public Law 86-36 / 50 U.S.C. 3605, a statute frequently used to protect NSA organization, functions, activities, and sensitive sources and methods
Several of the records mention anomalous cases including:
- Objects displaying controlled behavior
- Other objects with physical characteristics inconsistent with conventional explanations
- Military scrambles in response to unidentified objects
- Multi-witness sightings reported through intelligence channels
A bit clearer video, from October 7, 2020, showing a small spherical object flying over the countryside. Some of the other videos show something similar. Could be a balloon, but as the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) had previously acknowledged, the most common UAP being reported by military personnel are small, metallic-looking spheres, sometime doing “unusual maneuvers.” There is not enough information known about this case to make any kind of determination. Video via Department of War.
Japanese government interest
Also, the Tokyo government is analyzing the U.S. files releases. And it might also release more of its own files. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said:
Regarding incidents related to our national security – including UAPs – we are constantly gathering and analyzing information with great interest, while maintaining close coordination with the United States and other countries. [The government would] … make specific, case-by-case decisions after comprehensively considering various factors, including the risk of our intelligence-gathering capabilities being exposed.
French National Assembly conference in June
France’s National Assembly will host a UAP conference on June 29, 2026. It is doing so with the support of the Space Studies National Center (CNES) and the Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena Study and Information Group (GEIPAN). GEIPAN was created in 1977 specifically to study and document UAP reports.
Flying magazine
Finally, there is a good recent article from Flying magazine on pilot reports of UAP. Flying is the largest aviation magazine in the U.S.
Bottom line: The U.S. government has released Part 2 of its Pentagon UAP files. The 2nd release consists of over 50 videos and a few documents. Watch videos here.
Read more:
All the new documents can be found here.
All the video files are available here
Second Release of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Files on WAR.GOV/UFO
Leonard David’s INSIDE OUTER SPACE
