Documented case · Middle East and Mediterranean Sea coverage
Atmospheric Wakes — Case Two
2022–2023 (case date unavailable) · Details below are limited to the linked public record. Source conclusions are attributed and do not establish an extraordinary cause.
- Incident date
- 2022–2023 (case date unavailable)
- Place in source
- Middle East and Mediterranean Sea coverage
- Location precision
- AARO gives one shared Middle East and Mediterranean area for three missions, not a separate place for this case. The marker is a regional locator, not an aircraft or object position.
Documented record
A theater UAV operator reported infrared footage from one of three missions covered by AARO’s Atmospheric Wakes resolution. The report says the footage was submitted because it appeared to show potentially anomalous propulsion.
Source assessment
AARO’s partners assessed the apparent wakes as sensor artifacts. One object was almost certainly a known military aircraft. The second was unidentified and assessed with medium confidence as a small aircraft; camera aberration explained its oblong appearance.
Details stated in the record
- Source record
- One of three cases in an AARO resolution report
- Dates
- The report covers missions in 2022 and 2023; this case’s date is unavailable
- Shared source location
- Middle East and Mediterranean Sea; case-level location unavailable
- Reporter
- Theater UAV operator
- Sensor
- Infrared (IR)
- Altitude and shape
- Not available in the case summary
- Reported objects
- Two objects with apparent atmospheric wakes
- First object
- Almost certainly a known military aircraft
- Second object
- Unidentified; medium confidence assessment of a small aircraft
- Second object appearance
- Oblong appearance attributed to camera aberration
- Wake assessment
- Sensor artifact
Not available in the cited public record
- The public report does not give this case’s exact date, mission location, or coordinates.
- Altitude and shape are listed as unavailable in the case summary.
- The second object was not identified.
Source references
- “Atmospheric Wakes” case resolution (opens in a new tab)
AARO · U.S. Department of Defense