The Pentagon has released 72 additional unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) case files, adding to a growing archive of declassified reports that include sightings by U.S. military personnel, federal law-enforcement officers and civilian witnesses. Among the most unusual cases is a 2022 encounter near Colorado Springs involving five U.S. Army soldiers who described a hovering, "potato-shaped" object with scale-like features before it disappeared from view.
The newly disclosed documents are part of a broader transparency initiative that has resulted in roughly 300 previously restricted UFO-related files being made public. The releases span decades and involve investigations conducted by agencies including the Pentagon, FBI and CIA.
One of the most detailed reports centers on an incident at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to an FBI document, five Army personnel observed an object suspended over the area of Cheyenne Mountain during a clear February morning in 2022.
Witnesses described the object as a pale, opalescent craft with sharply defined edges and an exterior resembling "articulating fish scales or panels that were non-symmetrical, non-overlapping and irregular shaped." The object reportedly remained stationary for approximately two minutes before vanishing.
Investigators struggled to reach a definitive conclusion. A heavily redacted intelligence assessment ultimately assigned "low confidence" to a theory that the sighting may have been caused by "backscattering of sunlight," possibly reflecting off snow-covered terrain and illuminating thin cloud formations.
The explanation has drawn attention because the witnesses reportedly insisted conditions were bright and cloudless. The assessment also stated that investigators found no evidence of nearby aircraft, balloons or known foreign technology.
The Colorado case was not the only unresolved incident included in the latest document release. Another report examined sightings made in October 2023 by six federal law-enforcement officers who described a bright orange orb repeatedly appearing above a ridgeline.
According to the file, the orange object occasionally appeared to generate two to four smaller red lights. In one incident, an orb reportedly remained stationary for several hours. Analysts reviewed several potential explanations, including military training exercises, flare activity and experimental U.S. technology, but none could be conclusively verified.
The report noted that "unrecognised technology" remained a possibility and recommended additional investigation. The language reflects a recurring theme throughout many of the newly released files: numerous sightings remain unexplained despite extensive review.
Another case involved a civilian witness in the northeastern United States who reported observing what investigators described as a glowing red sphere beneath a tree line. According to the FBI report, the witness described a "brilliant and beautiful" orb containing a "white plasma sun" roughly the size of a basketball.
Unlike many cases, this incident included cellphone video showing two red objects moving through the night sky. The footage was later shared on social media by the White House under the label "NORTHEASTERN ORB SIGHTING, 2025," though no official explanation accompanied the posting.
The release also included historical material. A CIA document from 2008 detailed a sighting over Zimbabwe's principal airport, where witnesses reported a craft described as "disc-like in shape with a hollow center." The report stated that lights beneath the object appeared to rotate and that "beams" were observed before the craft accelerated away while changing colors.
