Mexican Air Force FLIR Footage — SEDENA Official Release

On March 5, 2004, a Mexican Air Force C-26A Metroliner patrol aircraft was conducting a drug interdiction mission over the southern Gulf of Mexico when its infrared camera (FLIR) detected 11 luminous objects. The objects were not visible to the naked eye but were captured clearly by the infrared system; the aircraft's radar also detected returns from the objects. When the aircraft changed course to investigate, the objects appeared to surround the plane. The crew reported being encircled. The footage lasted approximately 15 minutes. SEDENA (Mexico's Secretary of National Defense) reviewed the footage and decided to release it publicly. On May 11, 2004, General Ricardo Vega García, the Mexican Secretary of National Defense, held a press conference at which Jaime Maussan presented the footage and the SEDENA confirmed its authenticity. SEDENA stated the footage was genuine military recording. The Mexican military has not provided a definitive explanation for the objects. The footage was subsequently reviewed by multiple independent analysts. Some analysts attributed portions of the footage to oil burn-off flares from offshore platforms; however, the number of objects, their radar returns, and the apparent surrounding maneuver were not fully accounted for by this explanation. The SEDENA press conference makes this one of very few cases in which a national defense ministry officially released and endorsed military UAP footage.