MIDDLE EAST · 2013 [DOW · CENTCOM · IR]
WATCH IN UMBRA: all eight clips, native playback
THE 2013 STAR
DOW-UAP-PR038 is a 1 minute 46 second infrared clip from 2013. AARO describes an area of contrast "resembling an eight-pointed star with arms of alternating length." At 0:10 the sensor zooms in; between 0:11 and 0:29 the area moves within the field of view, followed by a visible trail; at 0:30 it leaves at the bottom right; after an apparent cut it generally stays in view and exits at the upper left. Bright point sources on infrared sensors can produce star-shaped glare, which is a reason to ask about the sensor before the sky, but AARO's description does not say either way. The reporter gave no written or oral description.
THE 2020 CLIPS
Seven clips from 2020, six of them located over the Arabian Gulf (PR036 is listed only as the Middle East). PR037 (9 seconds) shows an area of contrast crossing from the bottom left to the top left of the frame, and PR039 (5 seconds) a faint one moving right to left across a corner. PR041 (1 minute 34) is a continuous track, the sensor panning left to right to keep the contrast centered. In PR042 (4 minutes 53) the contrast intermittently loses distinctiveness, "seeming to disappear and reappear irregularly," and the sensor pans erratically. PR044 (5 minutes 11) tracks a contrast for about three minutes and carries incidental audio that AARO says does not relate to the visuals.
THE ANNOTATED AND REPORTED CLIPS
PR040 (1 minute 3) is the one clip where the original reporter edited the video: playback pauses at 0:10 to show a white line around an area of interest labelled "U/I SMALL THERMAL SIGNATURE." AARO did not edit it and publishes it as received. PR036 (2 minutes 17) came with a Range Fouler report, DoW-UAP-D38, describing a solid white object making erratic movements above the water; in the video the sensor switches modality at 2:15 and loses track of the contrast. A Range Fouler report is a notice that something unexpected entered a controlled range.
WHAT THE REPORTERS DIDN'T SAY
For most of these clips AARO notes that the reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation. That makes the descriptions you read in the record AARO's, written to stay flat: where the contrast is in the frame, when the sensor pans or zooms, and nothing about what the object was.
WHERE IT SITS IN THE RECORD
These are part of the first PURSUE release (May 8, 2026). Four more Central Command clips, from 2023 and 2025, came in Release 05; see The Middle East videos, 2023 and 2025, and the Gulf of Oman set from the same command. Umbra plays every clip with its full description.
What is the 2013 star-shaped UAP video?
DOW-UAP-PR038, a 1 minute 46 second infrared clip from a U.S. military platform that U.S. Central Command reported to AARO. AARO describes an area of contrast resembling an eight-pointed star with arms of alternating length, moving with a visible trail.
What does U/I SMALL THERMAL SIGNATURE mean?
It is a label the original reporter added to the PR040 clip, with a white circle around the area of interest. U/I is conventionally shorthand for unidentified. AARO did not make the edit and published the clip as received.
Which Middle East clips are in PURSUE Release 01?
Eight Central Command clips: PR036, PR037, PR038, PR039, PR040, PR041, PR042 and PR044, ranging from 5 seconds to over 5 minutes.
What is a Range Fouler report?
A notice that something unexpected entered a controlled range. The one filed with PR036, DoW-UAP-D38, described a solid white object making erratic movements above the water.
Where can I watch all eight clips?
Umbra, a free iOS reader of the public PURSUE record, plays every clip natively with AARO's full description and source markings.
> All eight Middle East clips, with AARO's full descriptions, on your iPhone.
