Western US Test Range — Orange Orb Swarm, Military Helicopter

A classified incident report released in the May 2026 Pentagon archive describes an encounter by a senior U.S. intelligence officer during a flight aboard a military helicopter over a western U.S. military test range in 2025. The witness described observing 'countless orange orbs swarming in all directions' — an encounter that lasted well over one hour. The individual objects were characterized as oval-shaped with an orange exterior and white or brighter centre. The orbs demonstrated independent movement across a wide area with no discernible flight pattern conforming to known aircraft or drone behaviour. At a distinct point during the observation, a subset of the orbs assembled into a clear triangular formation, held the formation briefly, and then vanished. The witness, described as a senior intelligence officer, filed a formal classified incident report. The report was reviewed at the intelligence community level before being included in the May 2026 archive release. The specific test range location is redacted in the public version of the document.