Documents / Analysis
This case resolution from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of War, is dated 8 September 2025. It reviews 17 minutes and 30 seconds of infrared footage recorded on 23 October 2017 by an aerostat blimp above Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq. AARO concludes with high confidence that the object showed no anomalous behavior and was consistent with a cluster of fully and partially inflated balloons drifting with the wind. It rejects a partner's suggestion that the object was a camouflaged quadrotor drone.
UNCLASSIFIED 3 UNCLASSIFIED Figure 1: Stills of the UAP from the 17-minute video. Aerostat deployed at Al Taqaddum Air Base. The balloons appear as bulbous, rounded shapes; similarly, the strings and deflated balloons can be seen hanging below. These images were assigned different color temperatures to aid in visualization. AARO is not a member of the Intelligence Community. This AARO information report should not be considered finished intelligence. It may contain references to finished intelligence reports, information provided by AARO’s coordinating interagency partners, or both to provide context, show relevance, or substantiate AARO analytic perspectives. (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED)
Analysis, from the aaro collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 3 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.