The UAP files, read slowly

Release 7 · October 23, 2026

What happened: the Department of War published the seventh tranche of declassified and historical UAP files under PURSUE (the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters), posted on WAR.GOV/UFO. Its announcement says the department and its partners are “actively working on the next release.”

How big: 28 records, all documents (PDFs), no videos. Two independent indexes of the government's database, UAP Ledger and UAP.GLOBAL, both list 28 files; UAP.GLOBAL counts 25 from the Department of War and one each from the FBI, the Executive Office of the President and “U.S. Government.”

What's in it, in plain English

• A 2026 case: an AARO memorandum for record about a triangular UAP (DOW-UAP-D176) and an FBI FD-302 statement about an unidentified aerial object (FBI-UAP-D043), both placed in the “Western United States.” UAP.GLOBAL describes them as AARO’s interview notes and the agents’ own statement about a silent black triangle that federal agents reported.
• Ten Air Force reports from 1952 to 1957 (DOW-UAP-D155 to D164) from Saudi Arabia, Guam, Italy, Canada, Germany, Morocco, Alaska (two), Sweden and Indiana.
• Four Catalina Island, California records from 1949 to 1955 (D177, D178, D179, D181). Per UAP.GLOBAL's reading, two of the cards name a likely cause: “Probable meteor” and “Astronomical (JUPITER).”
• 2008–2010 contractor files (D166 to D175): BAASS monthly reports, reports prepared for BAASS by a UFO reporting group, a project management plan, “Project Capella,” a self-assessment of UAP analysis capabilities, and an April 2010 Utah ranch investigation report. UAP.GLOBAL describes BAASS as a contractor that worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
• Space-debris paperwork from the early 1960s: a May 1963 memo on interagency coordination for recovering “foreign materiel” and 1962–1964 correspondence about space fragments.
• A 1954 Air Force personnel record (D180, 298 pages).

Where to read it

• WAR.GOV/UFO: the official database (search and filter by release, agency and file type).
• The Black Vault's UFO Files downloads: includes a Release 7 zip. The Black Vault's searchable archive currently covers Releases 1–6, with more to be added.
• UAP.GLOBAL's Release 7 page: a file-by-file table with short descriptions.
• UAP Ledger's Release 7 manifest (CSV): titles, dates, page counts and official file links.

Start here (official PDFs on war.gov):

• DOW-UAP-D176: Triangular UAP AARO Memorandum for Record, 2026
• FBI-UAP-D043: FD-302, Unidentified Aerial Object Observation Report, 2026
• DOW-UAP-D181: Unresolved UAP Report, Catalina Island, 1949
• DOW-UAP-D179: Air Intelligence Information Report, Catalina Island, 1952
• DOW-UAP-D178: Unresolved UAP Report, Catalina Island, 1953
• DOW-UAP-D177: Unresolved UAP Report, Catalina Island, 1955
• DOW-UAP-D174: Utah Ranch Investigation Report, April 2010
• EOP-UAP-D002: Memorandum on Interagency Coordination for the Recovery of Foreign Materiel, May 1963
• USG-UAP-D002: Interagency Correspondence Concerning Space Fragments, 1962–1964

The government describes the PURSUE files as unresolved cases, meaning it “is unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena.” As UAP.GLOBAL puts it, the release doesn’t show that any record identifies a UAP, or that claims in the contractor reports are true.

Sources: Department of War release, Oct. 23, 2026 (archived) · WAR.GOV/UFO (archived Oct. 24, 2026) · UAP.GLOBAL, PURSUE Release 07 · UAP Ledger manifest · The Black Vault downloads

Release 6 · September 18, 2026

The Department of War announced its sixth release of UAP files in a press release. The Black Vault's search page lists 71 items for this release.

Sources: Department of War release, Sept. 18, 2026 (archived) · The Black Vault search

Release 5 · August 7, 2026

The Department of War announced its fifth release of UAP files in a press release. The Black Vault's search page lists 42 items for this release.

Sources: Department of War release, Aug. 7, 2026 (archived) · The Black Vault search

Release 4 · July 10, 2026

Listed on WAR.GOV/UFO with a release date of July 10, 2026. The Black Vault's search page lists 40 items for this release.

Sources: WAR.GOV/UFO (archived) · The Black Vault search

Release 3 · June 12, 2026

Listed on WAR.GOV/UFO with a release date of June 12, 2026, with a documents download (826 MB) and a videos download (4.6 GB). The Black Vault's search page lists 72 items for this release.

Sources: WAR.GOV/UFO (archived) · The Black Vault search

Release 2 · May 22, 2026

Listed on WAR.GOV/UFO with a release date of May 22, 2026, with a documents download (70.1 MB) and a videos download (5.6 GB). The Black Vault's search page lists 63 items for this release.

Sources: WAR.GOV/UFO (archived) · The Black Vault search

Release 1 · May 8, 2026

The first PURSUE release: documents, photos and videos from an interagency effort the department says includes the White House, ODNI, the Department of Energy, AARO, NASA and the FBI. The announcement notes that “many of the materials have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies.” WAR.GOV/UFO lists a documents download (1.2 GB) and a videos download (1.3 GB). The Black Vault launched its searchable archive with this release, noting that many original PDFs were password protected or hard to search. The Black Vault's search page lists 158 items for this release.

Sources: Department of War release, May 8, 2026 (archived) · The Black Vault launch post · The Black Vault search