Department of War releases UAP files on black triangular craft and NASA cover

The US Department of War released a seventh batch of declassified UAP files on October 23, 2026, featuring contemporary FBI reports of a silent, black triangular craft and a 1963 memo suggesting NASA was used as a 'cover' for recovering unidentified fragments ^[3].

These disclosures are part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, known as the PURSUE program. The initiative follows a February 2026 executive order from President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to identify and declassify records related to UAP and extraterrestrial life ^[3].

Department of War releases seventh batch of UAP files

The latest disclosure brings the total number of documents published under the PURSUE program to 478 ^[3]. While previous releases focused on Cold War-era summaries, this tranche includes contemporary FBI field reports and thermal imaging data from 2026 ^[3].

One report, designated FD-302, details an encounter where two FBI Special Agents observed a nonreflective, dark black triangular object in a mountainous desert environment ^[3]. The agents estimated the object's wingspan at nine to 15 feet and reported it had no visible exhaust gases or auditory output ^[3].

The accompanying thermal imaging data showed the object was hotter than ambient temperature with a consistent thermal signature across the airframe ^[3]. The report describes the craft performing a vertical ascent and a station-keeping hover before transitioning to horizontal flight at speeds comparable to military fighter aircraft ^[3].

Declassified records on cover-ups and biological encounters

A May 29, 1963, memo from the Executive Office of the President, designated EOP-UAP-D002, states that the DOD and Air Force wanted to use NASA as a "cover" but had no intention of letting the agency do anything but return pieces of unidentified fragments ^[3]. The author noted an intention to oppose sending information to Congress to avoid a harmful debate ^[3].

The release also includes a 60-page April 2010 field investigation report from Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) regarding the Uintah Basin in Utah ^[3]. One witness in the report described a creature with an arm covered in thick, black hair and four ten-inch fingers but no thumb ^[3].

Other BAASS records document a witness reporting physical symptoms, including numbness and ringing in the ears, after encountering a red ball of light ^[3]. These files also mention Project Capella, a data warehouse that by March 2009 contained 234,364 reports of unusual aerial phenomena dating back to 593 BC ^[3].

A pattern of unresolved global sightings

The files document a wide range of unexplained phenomena across different eras. CIA documents recall a 2008 incident in Zimbabwe where a disc-like object with rotating lights and beams of light hovered over Harare international airport ^[1].

In the US, military personnel in Colorado Springs reported a creamy-white, "potato-shaped" object in February 2022 ^[1][5]. One officer described the object as having non-symmetrical panels that shifted in slow waves before the craft vanished ^[5].

There is a conflict in the record regarding the weather during the 2022 sighting. A former US Army Intelligence officer described the sky as a "blue bird" day with no clouds, but a separate Intelligence Community Agency document indicates clouds were present ^[5]. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) declared the case unresolved, citing a low-confidence assessment ^[1][5].

Political disputes and public skepticism

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that files "hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation" ^[3]. However, former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick told Scientific American that the releases serve no purpose, stating, "There’s nothing unexpected in their release" ^[1].

Rep. Republican former representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the disclosures on X, claiming the releases are "shiny object" propaganda intended to distract from other administration issues ^[1]. Meanwhile, reports indicate that AARO is seeking access to a comprehensive private UAP archive ^[4].

Public distrust remains high according to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, which found that 80% of Americans believe the government is withholding information about extraterrestrial life ^[1].

What we don't know

• Are the sequential photographs in the FBI report genuine, or are they fabrications as suggested by journalist Rob Jones, who noted the filename "TriangleSketch"? ^[3]
• What specific "fragments" was NASA used as a cover to return in the 1963 memorandum? ^[3]
• Why does AARO maintain a "low confidence" assessment of the 2022 Colorado Springs sighting despite the testimony of a US Army Intelligence officer? ^[1][5]