Pentagon Releases New UFO Files Showcasing Alleged 'Flying Saucers' and Secret Defence Tech Research

The US Department of War released a new tranche of UFO and unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) records on Friday, 18 September, including film of bright, disc‑shaped objects recorded near Tremonton, Utah, in 1952 and documents relating to a US defence programme that examined speculative concepts such as warp drives, wormholes and cloaking.

The sixth tranche was released under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE. The collection includes historical case files, military footage and research documents spanning decades.

The department's records classify many of the reported incidents as unresolved and do not establish that any of the objects were extraterrestrial.

Tremonton Sighting Revisited

The release includes the Project Blue Book file on the Tremonton incident, in which US Navy Chief Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse filmed a group of bright objects on 2 July 1952. Newhouse reported seeing roughly 10 to 14 objects, which he described as disc‑shaped.

The subsequent investigation considered several possible explanations, including birds, balloons and optical effects, but did not conclusively identify the objects.

The photographic evidence did not allow investigators to reach a conclusive identification. The release also includes a roughly 65‑minute recording of Air Force Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt giving a UFO briefing in March 1952.

Ruppelt said about 20 per cent of roughly 800 cases were reports from what he regarded as reliable observers for which investigators could draw no conclusion. More recent files include infrared military footage of six spherical objects over the Middle East in 2025, accompanied by a mission report.

Some reports describe objects travelling in groups or appearing to change direction. The available imagery does not, by itself, establish the nature or origin of the objects.

AAWSAP Research Documents

The Defense Intelligence Agency's Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program(AAWSAP) programme was established in 2008 to examine potential future aerospace threats and technologies. The programme ran from 2008 to 2012 and is associated with a series of Defense Intelligence Reference Documents, 37 of which were publicly released through FOIA.

The documents cover speculative concepts including warp drives, wormholes, antigravity, negative‑mass propulsion, metallic glass and cloaking. Some of the documents also discuss methods for manipulating electromagnetic, thermal or radar signatures.

The documents were intended as reference material on potential technologies and aerospace applications, rather than as evidence that those technologies had been demonstrated.

AAWSAP's contractor was Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies, a company founded by Robert Bigelow. The newly released paperwork adds detail about the programme's scope and contracting, while many of the underlying technical papers had previously been made public through FOIA releases.

PURSUE and the Trump Directive

President Donald Trump directed his administration in February to begin identifying and releasing government files related to UFOs, UAPs and extraterrestrial life. The first PURSUE tranche was released on 8 May, followed by additional releases in May, June, July and August.

Reaction online included both positive and sceptical commentary, with some researchers highlighting the historical records and others focusing on the footage's limitations and the extent of the redactions. Some commentators questioned the timing or political context of the release.

The department's published material does not identify the released records as evidence of extraterrestrial visitation. A department spokesman said the sixth release formed part of the continuing declassification effort, with further records to follow. The department's PURSUE website provides access to the released records and lists earlier tranches.

The released records add historical and technical detail, but they do not establish the origin of the reported objects.