HOME›INCIDENTS›DOD-020
SECRET
DOD-020 · 2025-01-01

Western US Test Range — Orange Orb Swarm, Military Helicopter

DoD◎ Western U.S. Military Test Range, USA◌ North America#2025◈ Orb / Sphere↑ Low to medium altitude, from military helicopter vantage⏱ Over 1 hour
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Local reconstruction generated from dossier details

MEDIA STATUS
Analytical reconstruction generated from witness and sensor records.
SOURCE TYPE
Witness testimony, radar language, and dossier reconstruction.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

A senior U.S. intelligence officer flying aboard a military helicopter over a western U.S. military test range in 2025 encountered what they described as 'countless orange orbs swarming in all directions.' The objects were oval-shaped with orange and white centres. At one point a group of the orbs assembled into a triangular formation before vanishing. The encounter lasted over an hour. The witness account is included in the May 2026 Pentagon archive release.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Senior U.S. intelligence officer aboard military helicopter, additional crew
EVIDENCE PROFILE
VISUAL RECONSTRUCTIONORB / SPHERE
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

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.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • ›'Countless orange orbs swarming in all directions' — senior intelligence officer's words
  • ›Objects described as oval-shaped, orange exterior, white/bright centre
  • ›Independent, non-formation movement across wide area for 1+ hour
  • ›Group of orbs assembled into triangular formation, then vanished
  • ›Witness is a senior U.S. intelligence officer — highest-credibility sourcing
  • ›Specific test range location redacted in public version of the document
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file DOD-020inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / OSD, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
MORE DOD FILES →MORE ORB / SPHERE CASES →MORE 2025 CASES →
INCIDENT DATA
FILE IDDOD-020
DATE2025-01-01
YEAR2025
AGENCYDoD
LOCATIONWestern U.S. Military Test Range, USA
REGIONNorth America
SHAPEOrb / Sphere
ALTITUDELow to medium altitude, from military helicopter vantage
DURATIONOver 1 hour
WITNESSESSenior U.S. intelligence officer aboard military helicopter, additional crew
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Formation / Group
Rapid Acceleration
Stationary Hover
Instant Disappearance
RESEARCH GUIDES
›How AARO Publishes UAP Cases›NARA Record Group 615ALL GUIDES →
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?

Does this case match something you witnessed? Run the sighting matcher to compare your experience.

MATCH MY SIGHTING
FILE DROP ALERTS

Don't miss the next release.

We'll notify you when new declassified archive material or official UAP source updates land on the site.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
▶Analyst Brief — guess the incident in 6 tries▶Signal Trace — drop a pin on the map▶Redacted — identify a blacked-out file
RELATED INCIDENTS
DoD◉ Orb / Sphere
CONFIDENTIAL
DOD-019 · 1948-01-01

Sandia — Armed Forces Special Weapons Program Orb Encounters

◎Sandia Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Newly declassified Armed Forces Special Weapons Program records document 209 separate UAP sightings at Sandia Base, New Mexico — the nation's primary nuclear weapons facility — between 1948 and 1950. Witnesses, primarily military personnel, described orbs that performed high-speed maneuvers and, in several cases, appeared to explode. The proximity to classified nuclear infrastructure was assessed as a national security concern. The files are part of the May 2026 Pentagon archive release.

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONDISAPPEARED INSTANTLY
◈ VISUAL
OPEN DOSSIER →
DoD◉ Orb / Sphere
CONFIDENTIAL
DOD-014 · 1951-08-25

Lubbock Lights — V-Formation, Texas Tech Professors

◎Lubbock, Texas, USA

A V-shaped formation of soft blue-green lights traveled silently over Lubbock, Texas on multiple occasions in late 1951, witnessed initially by four Texas Tech professors and subsequently photographed by 18-year-old Carl Hart Jr. The photographs were analyzed by Project Blue Book and the Air Force never produced a definitive explanation. Blue Book's final report lists it as 'unknown.'

FORMATIONRAPID ACCELERATION
◈ VISUAL
OPEN DOSSIER →
DoD◎ Disc / Saucer
CONFIDENTIAL
DOD-011 · 1952-07-19

Washington D.C. UFO Flap — Capitol Airspace

◎Washington D.C. / Capitol Airspace, USA

Multiple unidentified objects were tracked on radar at Washington National Airport and Andrews AFB on two separate weekends in July 1952. USAF interceptors were scrambled twice; objects vanished when jets arrived and returned when jets departed. This prompted the largest Air Force press conference since World War II and remains one of the best-documented mass radar UAP events in U.S. history.

FORMATIONRAPID ACCELERATIONDISAPPEARED INSTANTLY
◈ VISUAL
OPEN DOSSIER →
RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

Loading discussion...

Comments are editorially moderated. By submitting you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. Do not submit personal information, classified material, or off-topic content.

← EARLIER CASE
FBI Infrared Still B20 — Unidentified Craft
2025