Documents / Report
The Department of Defense's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) released this report in February 2024. It is Volume I of its Historical Record Report on U.S. Government involvement with UAP. AARO reviewed official investigations since 1945, searched archives and conducted about 30 interviews. It found no evidence that any sighting represented extraterrestrial technology, and no evidence that the government or private companies reverse-engineer such technology. The report attributes such claims to misidentified authentic programs and circular reporting.
“Low Earth orbit”1 page
44 represent a sample of those that have been operationally deployed since the 1994 Bosnia conflict and subsequently employed in counterterrorism operations around the world.175 Since then, their form and use have spread to civil and commercial applications. GNAT 750 The GNAT 750 was developed in the late 1980s by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. The prototype served as the basis for a more advanced design under DARPA.176 It was first used in 1994 during the Bosnia conflict where satellites were not optimized to collect for extended times over such small areas and where the airspace was heavily defended by capable anti-aircraft missile systems.177 Predator The Predator system, also built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., was based on the GNAT-750.178 It was initially a joint USN and U.S. Army project but transitioned to the USAF in 1996.179 It was known as the RQ-1.180 The system possessed synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical, and infrared sensors. 181 It was used to support United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization efforts in Bosnia and was widely used in counterterrorism operations.182 It became a platform with a wide array of technical capabilities that performed a variety of missions—such as close air support, combat search and rescue, precision strike, convoy/raid over watch, target development and terminal air guidance.183 The USAF retired the fleet in 2018.184 Reaper General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. also built the MQ-9 Reaper—a newer, larger version of the MQ-1 Predator UAV.185 This platform is faster, equipped with more advanced sensors, can carry more munitions than the Predator, and can be easily tailored with a variety of mission-specific capabilities.186 The system requires a pilot to control the aircraft and an aircrew member to operate the sensors and weapons.187 188 It has an operational altitude of 50,000 feet.189 The aircraft is operated out of a variety of locations worldwide, including Creech Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada.190 Dark Star The RQ-3 Dark Star was a remote pilot-assisted stealth system intended to conduct reconnaissance missions in high-threat areas. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and DARPA developed Dark Star in the mid-to-late 1990s.191 It never entered production, but the research conducted on Dark Star led to subsequent advances used on other platforms. Some observers asserted that Dark Star resembled a flying saucer with long narrow wings.192 It was designed to be fully autonomous from its launch, mission engagement, and return. It used satellite links to transmit sensor data. The first prototype flew in 1996, but crashed a month later on its second flight. The system completed five test flights before DoD terminated the program in 1999 due to cost and instability problems.193
Report, from the osd collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 63 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.