The Pentagon released a second batch of 222 declassified files and videos on May 22, 2026, related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs [1, 2, 3]. The materials include historical investigation records, photos, about 50 previously classified videos, seven audio recordings, and eyewitness reports spanning decades [1, 2, 4, 3, 5].
Among the videos is infrared footage of a February 2023 incident where a US Air National Guard F-16 fighter jet shot down a UFO over Lake Huron, near the Michigan-Canada border. The footage shows the jet firing an AIM-9X missile, which strikes the object causing a high-energy fragmentation event [6, 7, 5]. General Glen VanHerck, NORAD Commander, said, "I have not ruled out any possibilities" regarding the event [6].
The Pentagon cautioned that the videos and files lack a fully verified chain of custody and should not be considered conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial origin [6, 5]. The 2023 shootdown occurred amid heightened US-China tensions and various balloon sightings [6].
The release also includes a report of 209 episodes at the Sandia military facility in New Mexico from 1948 to 1950 involving green orbs and flying discs [3, 8, 9, 10]. Numerous reports of green light balls, discs, and fireballs near US military bases from that era appear in the files [1, 3, 8].
Other notable videos cover a glowing white humanoid-shaped object recorded by US Central Command infrared sensors in June 2020, and an infrared video from April 2024 by the US Coast Guard showing an object flying near a plane over the US Southeast [11, 2, 4, 12, 7]. A senior US intelligence officer recounted a 2025 incident describing two large glowing orange spheres chasing US fighter jets, saying, "我们之前看到的球体，后來变成在追逐战斗机，我们目睹这些状况都变得目瞪口呆" [2].
Since the Pentagon’s first batch of 161 declassified files released on May 8, 2026, their UFO website has logged over one billion visits worldwide [1, 2, 4]. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said, "这些长期被保密、引发合理猜测的文件，是时候让美国人民亲眼看看了" and "It’s time the American people see it for themselves" [3, 5].
The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) continues investigations but has found no conclusive proof linking UAPs to extraterrestrial origin, and many cases remain unresolved [2, 4, 12]. The US military is preparing to release a third batch of UFO files in the future [1].
