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DOW-UAP-PR057a, "Spherical UAP in clouds"

AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, 'Spherical UAP in clouds,' is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023. File: DOW-UAP-PR057a, "Spherical UAP in clouds". DOW-UAP-PR057a, "Spherical UAP in clouds" combines an official, playable video, 6 extracted claims, 1 evidence record, and 4 timeline entries, and file-level provenance that can be compared with related release records.

File
Video · Release 02
Date
2023
Location
Yellow Sea
Agency
Department of War

Probed Assessment

AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, 'Spherical UAP in clouds,' is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023. File: DOW-UAP-PR057a, "Spherical UAP in clouds".

Key takeaways

  • The released record says on March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community.
  • The released record says the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network.
  • The released record says many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.

Why it matters

DOW-UAP-PR057a, "Spherical UAP in clouds" combines an official, playable video, 6 extracted claims, 1 evidence record, and 4 timeline entries, and file-level provenance that can be compared with related release records.

Corroboration

For DOW-UAP-PR057a, "Spherical UAP in clouds", the release establishes official provenance but does not independently verify the record's statement that AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, 'Spherical UAP in clouds,' is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023.

Open questions

  • Do an original-generation recording, complete transcript, or sensor metadata survive outside the released artifact?

Probed separates this editorial assessment from the source claims below. It summarizes what the released artifact supports; it is not independent verification.

Official Description from War.gov

On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network. Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody. AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “Spherical UAP in clouds,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in June 2024. Video Duration: 1:10 Video Description: 00:00-00:06: No content. 00:07-00:08: An area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from left and exits near the center of the right side of the frame. 00:09-00:20: The sensor pans and cycles zoom levels multiple times. 00:21-00:31: An area of contrast enters the frame from the left side of the screen. The area of contrast becomes indistinguishable against the background. 00:32-00:34: The sensor zooms in. An area of contrast becomes distinguishable against the background near the center of the frame. 00:35-00:52: The sensor pans to track the area of contrast from left to right. 00:53-00:56: The sensor zooms in. An area of contrast transits the sensor field-of-view from left to right in the bottom third of the frame. 00:57-01:10: No content. This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. AARO Comment: This media is a duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR57b, alternately titled, “[Platform] observes UAP in East China Sea 05 JAN 2023 INDOPACOM.” This discrepancy exists because two uploaders titled the underlying material differently on a classified network.

Preserved verbatim as source metadata. This wording is separate from Probed’s file-specific description and assessment.

File Context

Related entities

9

Tracker findings

1

AARO assessed infrared video from U.S. military platform (2023)

The record states: AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, 'Spherical UAP in clouds,' is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023.

Release provenance

Release
Release 02
Official ID
release-02-file-013-dow-uap-pr057a-spherical-uap-in-clouds
Cleared
May 22, 2026
Official release source

Related coverage

12

Sighting Context

Stored occurrence and enrichment data for this released artifact. Missing or regional data stays explicit rather than being inferred.

Shape model

sphere

Static reduced-motion summary

Observation profile

Recorded occurrence details

Occurrence
Yellow Sea · 2023
Location
Yellow Sea
Open map
Classification
sphere

Environmental, lunar, orbital, satellite, airport, and nearby-infrastructure context loads when this section approaches the viewport.

Referenced Timeline

  1. Incident above the Yellow Sea

    Video likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform.

  2. Video upload to classified network

    A user uploaded the video to a classified network.

  3. Request for UAP-related records

    Eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records.

  4. Cleared for release

    The video was cleared for release.

Source Claims

Claims are attributed to the released source and remain distinct from Probed’s assessment and tracker findings.

Reported by source5Source inference1
Source reportedAsserted

On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community.

On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community.

Source reportedAsserted

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network.

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network.

Source reportedAsserted

Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.

Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.

InferenceAsserted

AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, 'Spherical UAP in clouds,' is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023.

AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, 'Spherical UAP in clouds,' is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the Yellow Sea in January 2023.

Source reportedAsserted

A user uploaded this video to a classified network in June 2024.

A user uploaded this video to a classified network in June 2024.

Source reportedAsserted

This media is a duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR57b, alternately titled, '[Platform] observes UAP in East China Sea 05 JAN 2023 INDOPACOM.'

This media is a duplicate of DOW-UAP-PR57b, alternately titled, '[Platform] observes UAP in East China Sea 05 JAN 2023 INDOPACOM.'

Source Material & Evidence

video

Video titled 'Spherical UAP in clouds'

Department of War

Research Map

9 entities · 7 grounded links

Lines appear only when two entities share a row-level source claim or dated timeline event. Unconnected nodes remain visible without implying a relationship.

UAP/Disclosure Graph
9 nodes7 links