DECLASSIFIED: Sixth Wave of Declassified UFO Records Includes Military Sensor Footage From…

The Pentagon released a sixth batch of declassified UFO files on Friday, Sept. 18, as part of the Trump administration’s new wave of public disclosure on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. The release adds to a growing public archive that was closed to Americans for decades.

The batch includes dozens of documents, images, video and audio recordings from several government agencies, along with eyewitness accounts of unexplained sightings. The tally comes to roughly 70 records, including 15 videos, 56 documents, and one audio file.

The new tranche follows earlier releases of 158 records on May 8, 64 on May 22, 53 on June 2, 40 on July 10 and 41 on August 7. The steady cadence suggests the administration is treating disclosure as an ongoing project rather than a one-time news event.

The centerpiece is film from a well-known 1952 case. It documents an incident near Tremonton, Utah, on July 2, 1952, that the Air Force’s Project Blue Book examined. The footage has now been digitized from 16mm film.

The witness, Delbert C. Newhouse, reported seeing 12 to 14 reflective objects and recorded them with a handheld Bell & Howell Auto Master camera. He was a Navy Chief Warrant Officer and trained aerial photographer who was traveling with his family at the time.

Newhouse was not a casual observer. The Air Force’s own file rates him as an honest and reliable witness with more than 1,000 hours of aerial photography experience.

The government’s conclusion was less dramatic. Officials said the film’s limited detail and lack of fixed reference points kept investigators from reaching a firm determination.

In late December 1952, Blue Book staff, balloon specialists and General Mills representatives reviewed the footage. The consensus was that the objects looked and behaved like pillow balloons in flight. One General Mills representative was less convinced, saying the objects looked somewhat too bright and appeared to maneuver too quickly.

Modern viewers have offered their own theories. Some say the footage resembles a drone swarm, decades before drones existed. That comparison is speculation, and the Air Force’s balloon explanation remains the official record.

The files are not limited to Cold War history. Four videos from Colorado law enforcement, shot in October 2023, show a silent phenomenon with red, blue and green flashing lights. The report says a cellphone’s rear-facing camera recorded them.

Military sensor footage is also included. One file covers a 2023 report from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, with infrared video from a U.S. military platform over the Yellow Sea. Another is a 59-second infrared clip from the East China Sea, also from 2023.

A 2025 video from U.S. Central Command, shot by an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in the Middle East, is part of the release as well. Footage this recent gives the public a direct look at the kind of reports the Pentagon’s anomaly office now receives.

The release also includes papers on exotic ideas. Multiple documents feature studies of concepts such as wormholes and invisibility cloaking.

The Pentagon says it did not scrub the substance of the files. Redactions protect the identities of eyewitnesses, the locations of government facilities and unrelated sensitive military information. None were made to hide the nature or existence of any reported encounter, the department says.

Officials have also tried to keep expectations in check. They stress that files are labeled “unresolved” because investigators lacked enough information to make an identification, not because the cases have been tied to extraterrestrial activity.

For many conservatives, the appeal of the releases is simple transparency. Taxpayers funded decades of military and intelligence work on unexplained aerial reports, and they have a reasonable claim to see what that work produced. Publishing original film and documents, rather than summaries, is a break from the old habit of managing the story.

There is also a national security case for the effort. Unidentified objects over military platforms and sensitive sites are a concern whether they turn out to be foreign surveillance drones, sensor glitches or something not yet understood. Unexplained is not the same as alien, but unexplained near U.S. forces is worth taking seriously.