First FBI UFO Videos Released (2026) — Watch the Declassified Orb Footage

On June 12, 2026, the Department of War published Release 3 of its ongoing Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) transparency initiative. Comprising 72 new items—53 PDFs, 10 images, 6 videos, and 3 audio recordings—this latest tranche represents one of the most significant archival dumps to date.

What makes Release 3 genuinely unprecedented is the inclusion of the first-ever video footage released directly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alongside highly contemporary FD-302 witness reports filed as recently as February 2026. The release spans a remarkable 77-year historical arc, bridging a foundational 1949 U.S. Army flying-saucer study with modern, multi-sensor documentation of luminous orbs in the northeastern United States. For researchers and the public alike, this release shifts the UAP conversation from purely historical retrospectives to active, ongoing federal investigations.

The 10 Featured Items: A Walkthrough

The Department of War highlighted 10 specific files as "Featured" in this release. These documents and videos provide a cross-section of historical intelligence gathering, modern analytical assessments, and authenticated visual evidence.

Historical Foundations (1949)

• DOW-UAP-D084 (US Army-Flying-Saucer-Study_1949): This PDF contains an early "Evaluation Study of the Phenomenon (Flying Saucers)." Prepared at the request of the Plans & Operations Divisions of the General Staff, U.S. Army, the study was commissioned to determine whether the origins of these phenomena could be traced to natural events or the activities of a foreign power.
• FBI-UAP-D011 (D/FBI Correspondence Referral, 1949): This file reveals correspondence between FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and Rev. Charles Barnes. Barnes reported observing four beams of light "converging in the Cascade Mountains" at an altitude of 10,000 feet, culminating in a "great explosion" visible for ten minutes. Hoover’s reply notes that he forwarded the account to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), as Barnes believed the event might relate to a military or scientific experiment within the AEC's purview.

International Incidents (2008)

• CIA-UAP-017 (Placement on High Alert Due to Perceived Aggressive Foreign Posturing): A never-before-released July 2008 CIA report detailing a UFO sighting at the Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe. According to the blurb, individuals debated whether the object was an "advanced reconnaissance device of a foreign government or of extraterrestrial origins."

The Colorado Springs Incident (2022) Three featured items center on a 2022 incident reported by U.S. military service members near Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• FBI-UAP-D002 (FD-1057, Unresolved UAP Report): An FBI investigative form containing a first-hand narrative description of the UAP, provided by an interviewee to aid special agents in producing a digital artistic interpretation.
• FBI-UAP-D003 (Digital Rendering): The resulting artistic interpretation derived from the narrative in D002.
• ICA-UAP-D001 (Analysis: Colorado Springs UAP Incident): This document contains an analysis by an All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) Intelligence Community partner. Observers characterized the airborne object as resembling an "angular, non-symmetrical potato." The IC partner assessed, with low confidence, that the phenomenon was attributable to "sunlight backscattering, where sunlight reflecting from mountain snow cover illuminated the underside of low-altitude clouds." Despite this assessment, AARO considers the case unresolved as of June 2026.

The Northeastern Orb Sightings (2024-2026) The most striking contemporary evidence comes from a cluster of sightings in a sparsely populated area of the northeastern United States.

• FBI-UAP-D009 & FBI-UAP-D010 (FD-302-67 and FD-302-71): These FBI interview forms, dated 2025 and 2026, record first-hand accounts from U.S. persons describing incidents involving UAP in the northeastern U.S. The FBI notes that these reports originate from the same general area as the video footage released in this tranche.
• FBI-UAP-PR003 (“Orbs Over the Pond,” 2024): This video, captured on an iPhone in October 2024 and authenticated by the U.S. Government, shows a luminous object resembling a "plasma-like sphere" hovering above a pond at an estimated distance of 2,700 feet. The object intermittently changed shape and luminosity over 45 minutes, occasionally separating into smaller luminous points. The FBI assesses the eyewitness as "highly credible."
• FBI-UAP-PR004 (“Northeastern Orb Sighting,” 2025): Captured in July 2025 on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, this footage shows a "brilliant red sphere" about one meter in diameter, with a center resembling a white plasma "sun" the size of a basketball. The video shows two identical orbs moving silently in tandem above a tree line before appearing to merge. The FBI also assesses these eyewitnesses as credible.

Patterns and Themes in Release 3

Beyond the featured items, the full 72-item catalog reveals distinct patterns in how the U.S. Government has historically tracked, and currently investigates, anomalous phenomena.

Agencies Represented

Release 3 is highly interagency. While the Department of War serves as the publishing clearinghouse, the files originate from the FBI, the CIA, NASA, and unnamed Intelligence Community (IC) partners working with AARO. The FBI's prominent role in the 2020s documentation—conducting site surveys, authenticating civilian video, and generating digital renderings for the Department of War—marks a significant shift toward treating domestic UAP sightings as formal federal investigative matters.

Recurring Themes: Orbs and Plasma

A stark evolution in UAP morphology is evident across the timeline. While 1940s and 1950s documents frequently refer to "flying discs" or "flying saucers" (as seen in the 1949 Army study and a 1950 CIA report on a German scientist's aerodynamic theories), the modern reports are dominated by spherical, luminous phenomena. The 2021-2026 FBI files repeatedly describe "plasma-like spheres," "brilliant red spheres," and objects exhibiting erratic rotational motion or merging behaviors.

Nuclear-Adjacent and Sensitive Sites

The proximity of UAP to sensitive national security and nuclear infrastructure remains a persistent theme. This is established early in the release with Director Hoover forwarding the 1949 Cascade Mountains report to the Atomic Energy Commission.

More recently, a major cluster of documents (DOW-UAP-D077 through D083) details a "Western United States Event" from October 2023. Over a period of two days, multiple U.S. federal law enforcement special agents reported observing UAP "near a sensitive national security site." The Department of War notes that as of June 2026, this case remains unresolved, and the release includes multiple narrative statements and digital renderings based on the agents' testimonies.

Aerospace, Radar, and the "Noise" Problem

The historical files show a deep governmental concern with UAP cluttering aerospace and intelligence channels. A 1952-1953 CIA Scientific Advisory Panel report (CIA-UAP-002) concluded that while "flying saucers" did not pose a direct physical threat, the public's fascination—fueled by a sensationalist press—could "overwhelm and clog vital intelligence and communication channels." The panel recommended an official policy of "debunking" to strip the subject of its mystery.

Furthermore, NASA files from the 1960s (Gemini and Apollo missions) document astronauts frequently reporting luminous phenomena in orbit. Transcripts from Gemini 4, 5, and 9 feature astronauts James McDivitt, Edward White, L. Gordon Cooper, and Eugene Cernan describing "sparkles," "flashing lights," and "glittering pieces" outside their spacecraft. While often attributed to debris or ice, a 1962 audio interview (NASA-UAP-D023) features Gordon Cooper stating that "a large number of exceptionally well-qualified people have seen objects" without a logical explanation.

Archival Status

The Department of War's Release 3 provides a sobering, factual look at the U.S. Government's evolving apparatus for documenting the unexplained. From low-confidence assessments of sunlight backscattering to highly credible, authenticated footage of plasma-like spheres, the data speaks for itself.

We are currently mirroring and OCR-extracting every PDF, image, and audio file from Release 3 at uap-files.org to ensure permanent public access and searchable text. All authenticated video files, including the unprecedented FBI footage of the Northeastern Orb sightings, are being processed and will be available for viewing on our dedicated media channel, @UAP-archives.