The Government UAP Files

[00:00:00] Hi there, and welcome to Out There: A Cryptid Podcast. I'm Josh, and today we're diving into the government's newest UFO releases. Real videos and photos of UAPs that even the American government admits they still can't fully explain. Let's dive in.

[00:00:50] We'll get into the government UAP files right after this.

[00:00:57] Just days ago, the United States government released another wave of UFO or UAP videos and photos to the public. Strange objects captured on military cameras. Glowing orbs, unexplained encounters recorded by pilots and defense personnel. And while some may have ordinary explanations, others remain unsolved even by the government itself.

[00:01:26] But even the name has changed. For decades, these sightings were called UFOs or Unidentified Flying Objects, which is a term heavily tied to conspiracy theories, aliens, and pop culture. In recent years, the government began using a new term, instead UAP or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. The change was meant to sound more scientific and less sensational.

[00:01:54] While also covering objects seen not just in the sky, but sometimes underwater or moving between environments. But this story didn't begin this week. Long before these newest releases, three military videos changed the conversation around UFOs forever. Videos so strange that the Pentagon itself confirmed they were authentic.

[00:02:22] And from that moment on, UFOs stopped being just stories whispered about online, and became something discussed inside Congress, investigated by the military, and debated around the world.

[00:02:36] For years, UFOs were usually tied to conspiracy theories, aliens, or late-night television shows. But in 2017, that started to change.

[00:03:01] That year, the New York Times released an article revealing that the Pentagon had been running a secret program called AATIP, which stood for the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. The goal of the program was to investigate strange encounters reported by military personnel.

[00:03:25] Along with that article came three military videos that completely changed the UFO conversation. And unlike random clips uploaded online, these videos came directly from U.S. Navy systems and fighter jet cameras. Not long after, the Pentagon confirmed the footage was authentic.

[00:03:49] The first video is now commonly called FLIR-1, or the Tic Tac video. The footage is connected to a 2004 encounter involving Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group off the coast of California. One of those pilots was David Farver. According to Farver, pilots were sent out after radar operators detected strange objects moving in unusual ways over the ocean.

[00:04:19] When Farver arrived, he described seeing disturbed water below him. Almost like something large was moving underneath the surface. Above it hovered a smooth white object, shaped like a Tic Tac mint. He said the object had no wings, no windows, no visible engines, and no exhaust.

[00:04:44] As Farver attempted to approach it, he claimed the object suddenly reacted to his movement and rapidly accelerated away, disappearing in seconds. Later, another aircraft captured infrared footage of the object using targeting cameras, creating the video now known as FLIR-1.

[00:05:06] In the footage, the object appears oval-shaped and moves across the screen while pilots try to lock onto it. The second video became known as GIMBLE. This footage was captured in 2015 by Navy pilots during a training exercise off the east coast of the United States. In the video, a dark object can be seen moving through the clouds while being tracked by infrared systems.

[00:05:33] What made the footage so famous was the way the object appears to rotate, or tilt, while flying. As the object turns, one of the pilots can be heard reacting in shock, saying, quote, Look at that thing, dude. Another pilot suggests there may be an entire fleet of objects flying together. The third video, called Go Fast, was also recorded in 2015.

[00:06:03] In this footage, pilots track a small object flying low over the ocean at what appears to be an extremely high speed. The targeting system struggles to lock onto it, while the pilots react in real time, surprised by how quickly it seems to move across the water. The object itself appears small and difficult to identify. Adding even more debate around what exactly was captured.

[00:06:30] Now, of course, people have debated these videos for years. Some believe the movement can be explained by camera systems, glare, optical effects, or misunderstandings involving distance and speed. Others think the footage shows technology that doesn't behave like conventional aircrafts. But the biggest reason these videos shocked people wasn't necessarily what was in them. It was the fact that they came from the military itself.

[00:06:59] These were not anonymous internet uploads. These were official military recordings, acknowledged by the United States government. And almost overnight, UFOs stopped being just conspiracy theories. And became something being openly discussed by journalists, scientists, defense officials, and eventually, even Congress.

[00:07:25] Another major figure connected to all of this was Luis Elizondo, a former intelligence officer who claimed he worked with AATIP before leaving the Pentagon. Elizondo became one of the biggest public voices pushing for more transparency around UFO investigations. And from that point on, the conversation around UFOs completely changed.

[00:07:51] Because for the first time in modern history, the government was openly admitting that there were objects being seen in the sky that they still could not fully explain. The release of those three videos completely changed the public conversation around UFOs too. But what happened next may have been even more surprising. Instead of denying the footage or dismissing it outright, the Pentagon officially confirmed the videos were authentic.

[00:08:18] In 2020, the United States Department of Defense publicly released the FLIR-1 gimbal and go-fast videos. And stated that the footage did in fact show what they called unidentified aerial phenomena. That confirmation was a huge moment. Because for decades, governments had avoided publicly discussing UFOs in serious detail.

[00:08:46] But now, the Pentagon itself was admitting that military personnel had recorded objects they could not immediately identify. At the same time, reports from Navy pilots continued to surface. Some pilots claimed strange encounters had become so common during training exercises that they were difficult to ignore.

[00:09:09] Pilots described seeing objects hovering motionless in strong winds, objects suddenly accelerating, and strange shapes appearing regularly on advanced radar systems. One of the most public voices was former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who said pilots off the East Coast had reportedly encountered unknown objects during training missions, beginning around 2014.

[00:09:36] Graves later stated that some pilots were concerned enough about the encounters that they believed the objects could pose potential flight safety risks. As more reports surfaced, the government slowly began creating official groups dedicated to investigating these incidents. In 2020, the Pentagon announced the formation of the UAP Task Force.

[00:09:59] Its purpose was to collect and analyze reports of unidentified aerial phenomena, especially encounters involving military personnel. Then, in 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report examining over 140 military UAP encounters.

[00:10:20] According to the report, investigators could explain some incidents, but many remained unsolved due to limited data or unusual flight characteristics. The report also stated that officials found no evidence confirming extraterrestrial origins, but they could also not fully explain every case.

[00:10:43] And this is where things began shifting from military investigation into major public discussion. In 2022, for the first time in over 50 years, Congress held a public hearing focused specifically on UFOs and UAPs. Lawmakers questioned defense officials about military encounters, national security concerns, and a growing number of reports being documented by service members.

[00:11:13] The hearings themselves felt surreal to many people watching. Topics that once sounded like pure conspiracy theories were now being discussed openly inside Congress. Military footage played on screens. Officials answered questions about unexplained objects. Senators demanded more transparency. But the biggest turning point may have come in 2023, with the appearance of David Gersh.

[00:11:43] Gersh was a former intelligence officer who claimed he had worked with UAP-related investigations while serving with the intelligence community. During public testimony and interviews, Gersh alleged that the United States government had been involved in secret crash retrieval programs focused on recovering unidentified craft.

[00:12:06] He also claimed that some of these programs involved what he described as, quote, non-human technology. Those allegations exploded across the internet and news medias almost immediately. Now, it is important to note that Gersh did not publicly provide physical evidence proving these claims, and many people remain skeptical of his statements.

[00:12:35] But what made the situation so significant was the fact that these allegations were being delivered under oath during congressional proceedings. And Gersh wasn't the only one to testify. The pilot, David Farver, also gave his testimony of the Tic Tac encounter. But by this point, the UFO conversation had transformed completely.

[00:12:59] What started as leaked military footage in 2017 had now turned into Pentagon investigations, intelligence reports, congressional hearings, whistleblower allegations, and official government releases. And for many people, the biggest mystery was no longer just what these objects were. It's why governments suddenly seemed willing to talk about all of it.

[00:13:25] And now, years after those original Pentagon videos shocked the world, another wave of footage has been released. This time, it's not just a handful of well-known clips being discussed on the internet. It is a new collection of videos and photos coming directly from official government channels, adding fresh material to an already growing archive of unexplained encounters.

[00:13:54] More on the government UAP files right after this. This new release includes many pieces of footage and imagery, each one recorded in a military or defense context, each one reviewed or stored within official systems, and each one labeled in some form as unidentified. And what makes this moment so important is not just what is in the footage, but what it represents.

[00:14:21] Because this is no longer about any isolated incidents. This is part of an ongoing pattern of official disclosure, where the government itself is slowly releasing material that was once classified, or at least kept internal. Some of the footage shows fast-moving objects appearing on military sensors, some show glowing or spherical shapes moving through controlled airspace.

[00:14:48] Others are still images that raise more questions than answers, captured during operations where identification systems failed to provide clear results. And maybe the strangest part of all of this is that these cases are no longer buried in secret archives, or hidden away in conspiracy forums online. Today, the Department of Defense hosts an official public webpage

[00:15:14] dedicated entirely to UAP cases and investigations. I mean, the website itself literally ends with the word UFO. On the site are videos, photographs, and military reports, and even government statements discussing encounters that officials themselves have labeled as unresolved or unidentified. So, we're going to go through some of the strangest and most unsettling files currently available there,

[00:15:45] breaking down what was reportedly seen, what may explain it, and why these encounters still remain unexplained. And to be clear, this is literally just a few. There's at least 80 different cases to click through. The first file we are going to talk about is labeled D-O-W-U-A-P-P-R-0-3-8, an unresolved UAP report from the Middle East dating back to 2013.

[00:16:13] But the footage itself was only publicly released on May 8th, 2026, more than a decade after it was reportedly recorded. According to the Department of Defense, the video came from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating under central command. Strangely, officials say the original reporter never provided any written or verbal explanation describing what they witnessed.

[00:16:43] All investigators appear to have had was the footage itself. And the footage is definitely unusual. The object appears as a glowing shape resembling an eight-point star with uneven arms extending outward from the center. About 10 seconds into the recording, the sensor zooms in closer, and the object begins moving across the frame

[00:17:10] while leaving what appears to be a visible thermal trail behind it. At one point, the object exits the frame entirely before the footage appears to cut out. When it returns, the object once again drifts through the infrared camera view before disappearing off screen. Now, because this was captured using infrared imaging, the strange star-like appearance may not actually reflect the object's true shape.

[00:17:40] Infrared systems can sometimes distort heat signatures, depending on focus, sensor bloom, atmosphere conditions, or the way light interacts with the camera itself. Some online have suggested the footage could show a military illumination flare or another heat-eminating object viewed through infrared targeting systems. But of course, the strange star-like appearance of the object immediately caught people's attention online.

[00:18:09] And while the shape may simply be an effect caused by the infrared imaging system, it also taps into something much older. For thousands of years, humans have described unexplained aerial phenomena as glowing stars, burning lights, celestial objects, or strange shapes moving across the sky. Ancient Roman writers recorded accounts of strange objects appearing in the sky, often describing them as fiery shields

[00:18:38] or glowing shapes hovering overhead. In several historical texts, these sightings were treated as omens or supernatural events sent by the gods. Centuries later, during the medieval period, people across Europe reported glowing crosses, burning lights, and strange luminous objects appearing in the heavens. Many of these events were interpreted through a religious lens, with witnesses believing they were signs

[00:19:08] of divine intervention, warnings, or celestial messages. Of course, there is no evidence connecting these historical accounts to modern UAP reports, but what is fascinating is how consistent the human reaction has remained throughout history. Whenever people witness something in the sky they cannot explain, they try to understand it using the beliefs and language of their own time. Now, the next file takes us

[00:19:37] far beyond military training zones or modern infrared cameras. This one goes all the way back to the Apollo era and one of NASA's final missions to the moon. The file is labeled NASA UAP VM006 and centers around a photograph taken during the Apollo 17 mission in December of 1972. Apollo 17 was

[00:20:07] NASA's final crewed mission to the moon and remains the last time human beings physically walked on the lunar surface. The mission launched on December 7th, 1972, carrying astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmidt, and Ronald Evans. Kernan and Schmidt would descend to the lunar surface while Evans remained in orbit around the moon aboard the command module. Apollo 17 was a massive scientific mission.

[00:20:37] The astronauts spent days exploring the moon's Taurus-Littro Valley, collecting lunar samples, performing experiments, and capturing thousands of photographs of the lunar surface and surrounding space. It would also become the final Apollo mission ever flown. To this day, Eugene Kernan remains the last human being to walk on the moon. But more than 50 years later, one specific image from that mission has suddenly become

[00:21:06] part of a modern UAP investigation. According to the Department of Defense release, the photograph contains three strange quote, dots visible in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky. The object appears in a triangular formation and become much more noticeable when the image is enlarged or digitally enhanced. Now, this image itself is not brand new.

[00:21:36] People interested in NASA anomalies and lunar conspiracy theories have discussed it online for years. But according to the newly released government statement, investigators reviewing historical UAP material reopened the case under a program called Pursue. And for the first time, officials stated that preliminary analysis suggests that the anomaly could potentially involve

[00:22:04] a physical object actually present within the scene. That detail immediately caught people's attention online. The Department of Defense also stated stated that the government has now obtained the original Apollo 17 film for further analysis and that both NASA and Dow findings will eventually be released publicly once the investigation is complete. Now, of course, there are several

[00:22:34] possible explanations. Some researchers believe the dots could simply be film artifacts, dust contamination, light reflection, or damaged introduced during scanning or development of the original image. Others argue the formation appears too structured or distinct to be easily dismissed. And because this image comes from the Apollo era, it naturally connects to decades of speculation surrounding astronauts, UFO sightings,

[00:23:04] and alleged hidden information about the moon itself. Over the years, conspiracy theories have claimed that astronauts witnessed strange objects during lunar missions encountered unexplained lights in space, or saw structures on the moon that were never publicly discussed. Some theories even suggest NASA has hidden evidence of extraterrestrial activity for decades. However, it is important to separate verified history

[00:23:34] from internet mythology. No Apollo astronaut has ever publicly confirmed seeing alien spacecraft or extraterrestrial beings on the moon. Many of the most famous quote, NASA astronaut UFO quotes circulating online have either been taken out of context, misquoted, or completely fabricated over the years. That being said, there have been a few moments from the space program that fueled public

[00:24:03] frustration. During the Apollo missions, astronauts occasionally reported seeing unidentified lights or objects outside the spacecraft. In many cases, NASA later explained these sightings as space debris, detached rocket panels, ice particles reflecting sunlight, or other mission-related material floating nearby. And one of the most discussed examples came during the Apollo 11 moon landing mission, when astronauts

[00:24:33] reported seeing unusual lights objects outside the spacecraft while traveling to the moon. While conspiracy theories later claimed these were alien craft observing the mission, official explanations suggest the astronauts were likely observing separated rocket components traveling alongside them in space. But with an image like this connected to another Apollo mission, those reports start to seem a little more plausible.

[00:25:02] Still, the mysteries surrounding the Apollo missions have always captured people's imaginations, in a way few other topics have. And because so much of the Apollo program was filmed against the black emptiness of space itself, even tiny unexplained details in old photographs can take on an eerie quality decades later. And now, more than 50 years after Apollo 17 left the moon, this photograph

[00:25:32] is once again being examined, but now by the United States government, instead of us tinfoil hat people. More on the government UAP files, right after this. One of the strangest files released in this collection is not a video at all. It's a still image labeled FBI September 2023 Sighting Composite Sketch. And unlike some of the military infrared footage,

[00:26:02] this case feels almost unsettlingly human. According to the official description, the image is an actual sight photograph, combined with a rendered overlay created by the FBI laboratory. The graphic was reportedly designed to match multiple eyewitness accounts from September of 2023, describing what witnesses called an ellipsoid metallic object appearing in the sky. The object was described as

[00:26:31] bronze in color, metallic in appearance, and somewhere between 130 and 195 feet in length. According to the report, witnesses claimed the object appeared out of a bright light in the sky before disappearing instantaneously. And honestly, even reading that description feels surreal. Not because strange sightings are uncommon, but because this was apparently serious enough for the FBI

[00:27:01] itself to become involved. The frustrating part is that almost no additional information was released alongside the image. No witness names, no exact location, no details about how many people reportedly saw the object, no explanation for why the FBI was called in. Just a single composite rendering, and a short description attached to a classified case file. And because of that lack of

[00:27:30] information, the image immediately sparked speculation online. Some people compared the object to classified UFO descriptions from the 1950s and 60s, especially the metallic cigar or tic-tac shaped craft commonly reported in older sightings. Others argued the rendering could simply represent witness perception rather than the exact shape of a real object. But honestly, one of the most fascinating

[00:28:00] parts of this entire file is not the object itself, it's the fact that the FBI investigated the case at all. I mean, it sounds like an episode of The X-Files. You'd expect Mulder and Scully to be the ones investigating, but this is not a television script. This is a real FBI file released on an official government website in 2026. That's crazy. And while we still have almost

[00:28:30] no information about what witnesses actually saw in September of 2023, the existence of the file itself raises a strange question. What kind of event causes the FBI laboratory to create a classified composite rendering of an unidentified object reported in the sky? The final file we're looking at comes from the Indo-Pacific region and may be one of the strangest

[00:28:59] visual cases in the entire release. According to the official report, the footage was submitted by the United States Indo-Pacific Command to the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, also known as AARO. The video consists of just nine seconds of infrared footage captured aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. And once again, there is almost no additional context, no witness statement,

[00:29:29] no written explanations from the observer, no details about what mission was taking place or where exactly the footage was captured within the Indo-Pacific region, just the video itself. According to the Department of Defense description, the sensor locks onto what they describe as an area of contrast resembling a football-shaped body with three radial projections extending outward from it.

[00:29:58] One projection appears vertically aligned, while two others angle downward at roughly 45 degree angles from the main object. even the wording used in the report feels unusual, because rather than describing a normal aircraft shape, investigators are essentially describing something that appears structured but unfamiliar. And visually, the object has already sparked comparisons online to everything

[00:30:27] from drones and sensor artifacts to older UFO reports involving oddly shaped craft with protruding appendages or glowing extensions. Some viewers even compared it to descriptions of jellyfish or tripod-style UFO sightings reported in past decades. But once again, because the footage comes from an infrared system, it is difficult to know how accurately the

[00:30:57] object's true shape is being represented. Things like heat signatures, focus distortion, glare, and sensor bloom can dramatically alter the appearance of objects viewed through military targeting cameras. A normal object viewed under unusual infrared conditions can sometimes appear almost alien in shape. Still, the case remains officially unresolved, and the fact that the footage was important enough to be forwarded

[00:31:26] to AARO suggests investigators believed it warranted further review rather than immediate dismissal. And honestly, that may be one of the most fascinating patterns throughout all of these releases. Over and over again, we see short clips, incomplete data, and limited explanations. But despite that, these cases continue being cataloged, analyzed, archived,

[00:31:55] and in some situations, publicly released years later. Not because the government is confirming aliens, but because even now, there are still incidents that investigators cannot fully identify with confidence. And maybe that is the real story behind modern UFO disclosure. Not proof of extraterrestrials, but the growing public acknowledgement that there are still things appearing in our skies that remain

[00:32:24] unexplained. And these are just four cases from the newest releases online. Four different incidences spanning decades, involving military footage, FBI investigation, and even imagery connected to the Apollo program. And while each case is very different, they all share one thing in common. They were officially labeled unresolved or unidentified by the government itself. Now, it is important to point out that the government

[00:32:57] they're not claiming these are extraterrestrial spacecraft, visitors from another planet, or proof of non-human intelligence. That is exactly why they use the term UAP, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. The label exists because investigators do not actually know what these objects are. In many of these cases, all officials can confidently say is that something unusual was observed and could not immediately be

[00:33:26] identified using the available data. And of course, there are plenty of possible explanations that have nothing to do with aliens. Some sightings could involve drones, classified military projects, foreign surveillance technology, atmospheric phenomena, optical distortions, infrared glare, radar errors, or even simple misidentifications. In some situations, the answer may simply come down to incomplete information.

[00:33:54] A short clip without radar data, witness testimony, or environmental context can make even ordinary objects seem mysterious. But, this is also where things start to become especially interesting. Because, if investigators genuinely believed these objects were advanced aircraft belonging to another country, publicly releasing the footage would seem like a very strange strategic

[00:34:24] decision. Governments usually do not openly post intelligence related to potential hostile foreign technology, unless they are fairly confident it no longer poses a direct security concern, or unless they already understand what they are looking at. And, considering the level of intelligence gathering between major world powers, it seems unlikely that the United States would have absolutely no information if these were simply

[00:34:53] foreign aircraft repeatedly appearing near military operations and training zones. Now, of course, that does not automatically mean these objects are extraterrestrial either, but, what these releases do seem to suggest is that, in at least some cases, investigators are genuinely uncertain. And, honestly, that uncertainty may be the most fascinating part of all of this. Not because the government is saying

[00:35:22] these are aliens, but because, for the first time in modern history, officials appear willing to publicly admit something far more unsettling. There are incidents they still cannot fully explain. So, what do you think? Are UFOs really out there?

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