Defense Department releases FBI files on triangular UAP in Colorado

The Department of Defense released its fifth set of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files on August 7, 2026, detailing two FBI-investigated sightings of triangular objects in Colorado Springs from October 2023 ^[5].

The release follows a period of increasing scientific and administrative activity regarding UAP, which refers to unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena. While the DOD continues to publish sighting files, an international team of scientists is now attempting to establish a formal framework for the study of these objects ^[3].

Colorado Springs sightings

The DOD files include interviews conducted by FBI agents with two witnesses who reported seeing triangular craft in October 2023 ^[5].

One witness, a former DOD employee, described a silent, translucent object the size of a large SUV ^[5]. He reported the object looked like a "perfect triangle" and described the visual distortion around it as "ripples like you were looking at an object that is underwater" ^[5].

The employee stated the object moved in a straight path at a consistent elevation before its left side banked almost vertically ^[5]. He noted the craft was completely silent and did not match any Air Force aircraft or drones he was familiar with ^[5].

A second witness reported seeing a "solid black triangular shaped object" with a red light in each of its three corners ^[5]. This witness estimated the object was three to five stories thick and as large as a parking lot ^[5].

According to the report, the object emerged from a "pixelated" cloud and accelerated almost instantaneously to a speed the witness estimated at Mach 1 or 2 ^[5]. The witness described the craft banking 90 degrees to the left while veering right, a motion he said was opposite to that of conventional aircraft ^[5]. After the sighting, the witness's wife noted his voice sounded "robotic, as if there was electronic interference occurring within the call" ^[5].

The DOD provided artistic renderings of these potential sightings, though the files do not include sensor data or photographs of the objects ^[5].

Academic and archive disclosures

Beyond the sighting reports, new data has emerged from scientific and presidential records. On June 16, 2025, a team of 33 scientists published a review article in the journal Progress in Aerospace Sciences ^[3].

The paper, led by Prof. Kevin H. Knuth of the University at Albany and Prof. Hakan Kayal of the University of Würzburg, summarizes approximately 20 historical government studies from multiple countries ^[3]. The authors emphasize a need for systematic scientific investigation into UAP ^[3].

Separately, the Barack Obama Presidential Library has released records under FOIA 22-18746-F regarding John Podesta's responses to UFO disclosure ^[2]. These records include email correspondence and tweets from the Obama administration ^[2].

The disclosure reveals that while some materials were released in full, a significant portion remains classified ^[2]. Specifically, of 43 assets found in a shared drive designated "WHO," 38 were withheld in full ^[2].

What we don't know

• What were the final results or conclusions of the FBI investigations into the Colorado Springs incidents?
• Why were 38 of the 43 assets from the Shared Drive - WHO in the Podesta FOIA withheld in full?
• What specific "performance characteristics" of UAP is the Sol Foundation's Video Analysis Project attempting to identify?