Documented sightings from the 2020s, sorted from most recent.
After retired AFRL commander Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland went missing in February 2026, a months-long social-media narrative tracking deaths and disappearances of ~15 U.S. scientists and adjacent personnel - all loosely connected to classified aerospace, advanced physics, or national-security-adjacent work - escalated into a White-House-level FBI investigation. Individual cases have documented mundane causes; the cluster pattern is unusual enough that the federal probe is underway.
President Trump directed the Pentagon and federal agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to UFOs, aliens, and UAP.
The signed FY2026 NDAA required Pentagon briefings on UAP intercepts by NORTHCOM/NORAD since 2004, a classification matrix, and streamlined reporting to AARO.
Late-2025 first-hand account by a serving senior U.S. intelligence official of oval orange light-emitting objects seen from a military helicopter; released May 22, 2026.
A Michigan couple experienced repeated close encounters with basketball-sized structured illuminated objects in their yard, captured on video and investigated by NUFORC.
Military whistleblowers testified about UAP encounters at Vandenberg, aboard USS Jackson, and at Langley, while dramatic Yemen orb video was shown publicly for the first time.
Rep. Burlison's comprehensive UAP disclosure bill proposing a Records Review Board and mandatory declassification was introduced but excluded from the House NDAA.
Legislation to protect UAP whistleblowers from retaliation when reporting to Congress about government UAP research programs and taxpayer fund usage.
Peer-reviewed Nature study found statistically significant correlations between 1950s sky anomalies, nuclear weapons testing, and UAP reports at Palomar Observatory.
NUFORC identified a new recurring UAP shape in 2025 -- eight-sided 'double pyramid' octahedrons reported across multiple states performing impossible maneuvers.
Bipartisan bill requiring all federal agencies to declassify and publish UAP records on a public website within 270 days, introduced by Burchett, Moskowitz, and Luna.
The House Oversight Committee created a bipartisan Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets, establishing the first standing Congressional body focused on UAP transparency.
Whistleblower helicopter pilot described retrieving egg-shaped UAP craft, accompanied by exclusive video footage of an alleged retrieval operation shown on NewsNation.
Multiple UFOs observed and filmed over Fresno across several days, with two pilots reporting objects to air traffic control and police helicopter dispatched to investigate.
Unidentified objects forced a police helicopter into emergency evasive action over US air bases in England, with 20+ objects reported over three nights.
The Sol Foundation's second annual academic symposium at Fort Mason brought together scientists, military officials, and investors to advance UAP research and policy.
Thousands witnessed unidentified drone-like objects over New Jersey and the Northeast near military installations, triggering national alarm before partial official explanations.
AARO's annual report logged 757 new UAP cases with 21 'truly anomalous' incidents, as new director Kosloski admitted cases he cannot explain.
A second major congressional UAP hearing featured Elizondo, Gallaudet, and Shellenberger testifying about hidden programs and withheld UAP information.
Joint House hearing featuring Elizondo, Gallaudet, Gold, and Shellenberger testifying about secret UAP programs, classified imagery, and government cover-ups.
A whistleblower alleged the existence of 'Immaculate Constellation,' a secret program serving as a repository for high-quality UAP imagery from military sensors.
Video showed a US MQ-9 Reaper firing a Hellfire missile at an orb off Yemen -- the object appeared to absorb the strike and continue flying.
Two orange, semi-transparent irregular shapes observed for ~2 seconds over Syrian airspace; declassified May 8, 2026 via the PURSUE program.
Unidentified objects shut down Tianjin's international airport for three consecutive nights, grounding flights and prompting fighter jet scrambles across China.
Former AATIP head Elizondo's NYT #1 bestseller passed Pentagon security review while claiming crash retrievals, non-human bodies, and secret UAP programs.
Twelve Red Rocks Amphitheatre employees witnessed a massive disc-shaped metallic craft with 'three levels of windows' hovering near the Colorado venue.
Four oblong objects flying in rapid formation over the ocean near Iran; declassified May 22, 2026 via PURSUE Release 02.
Football-shaped UAP captured on INDOPACOM video in Pacific waters near Japan; declassified May 8, 2026 via the PURSUE program.
Unidentified drones repeatedly penetrated airspace over Langley AFB for 17 days, evading F-22s and prompting a multi-agency investigation.
AARO director Kirkpatrick resigned amid credibility concerns as his office's findings contradicted whistleblower testimony Congress found 'credible and urgent.'
CENTCOM infrared footage of a UAP near the ocean surface off Greece making 90-degree turns at ~80 mph; declassified May 8, 2026 via PURSUE.
Infrared tracking of a UAP off the UAE coast in October 2023; declassified May 8, 2026 via the PURSUE program.
FBI composite sketch of a 130-195 ft bronze ellipsoid materializing from bright light, disappearing instantaneously (Sept 2023); declassified May 8, 2026 via PURSUE.
Former intelligence official David Grusch testified under oath to Congress that the US government possesses non-human craft and biologics in a secret retrieval program.
Navy pilot Ryan Graves testified to Congress about daily UAP encounters off the East Coast, including a cube-in-sphere object, and founded Americans for Safe Aerospace.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer introduced landmark legislation to force UAP disclosure, but key provisions were stripped amid defense industry opposition.
F-16 weapon-system footage of the February 12, 2023 shootdown of an unidentified object over Lake Huron; declassified May 22, 2026 via PURSUE Release 02.
Infrared footage of an object over Columbus, Ohio that tilts and vanishes (Nov 1, 2022); declassified May 22, 2026 via PURSUE Release 02.
MQ-9 Reaper achieved a weapons-quality lock on a UAP that instantly accelerated and changed direction near the Jordan-Syria border; declassified May 22, 2026.
A small spherical object filmed crossing a countryside landscape (Oct 7, 2020), location undisclosed; declassified May 22, 2026 via PURSUE Release 02.