Operation Prato is the most documented military UAP deployment in Latin American history — and one of the most disturbing cases in the global UAP file. Brazilian Air Force personnel spent months on Colares Island photographing objects that emerged from the ocean, hovered over civilians, emitted concentrated energy beams causing burns and physical injury, and returned to the water. The commanding officer, Captain Uyrangê Hollanda, broke his silence before his death. The files were classified for 30 years. They are now partially public.
What Happened at Colares
Colares is a small island in Pará state, northern Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon river system. In 1977, civilian reports began flooding in of luminous objects emerging from the water near the island — objects that emitted concentrated beams of light that physically struck people. Witnesses reported burns, puncture wounds, temporary blindness, and in some cases permanent health damage. Local residents called the objects “chupa-chupa” — roughly translated as “the sucker” — because of the beam’s apparent effect of drawing blood or energy from those it struck.
The Brazilian Air Force deployed Operation Prato — officially a documentation mission — under the command of Captain Uyrangê Hollanda. Military personnel were stationed on the island with cameras, military-grade recording equipment, and instructions to document everything. Over several months, they photographed the objects extensively. Medical personnel compiled records of civilian injuries. The operation generated thousands of photographs and hundreds of pages of testimony.
The Commanding Officer’s Testimony
Captain Hollanda maintained silence for decades under military oath. Shortly before his death in 1997, he granted an interview to Brazilian UFO researcher Ademar Gevaerd. He described the objects as definitively non-human in origin and expressed deep regret that Brazil had not been more transparent with its population about what its military had witnessed.
He confirmed that the objects were observed entering and exiting the water. That they demonstrated awareness of the military observers — at times approaching, at times withdrawing when approached. That the military personnel were themselves frightened by what they witnessed. That the files were classified because the Brazilian government had no framework for disclosing that something non-human was operating in Brazilian territorial waters and airspace.
The Declassification
In 2009, the Brazilian Ministry of Defence released thousands of pages of UAP investigation files under public pressure. The Operation Prato files — photographs, witness statements, medical records, military logs — entered the public domain. Brazilian researchers and international analysts have examined them extensively. The photographs show luminous objects over water and land. The medical records document genuine physical injuries with no conventional explanation. The military logs document systematic observation of transmedium craft over a sustained period.
The Colares incident is unique in the global USO record: it is documented by a national military force, includes physical evidence of harm to civilians from emitted energy, and has been partially released through official government channels. It is not a rumour. It is not an anecdote. It is a military operation with files.
Sources: Brazilian Ministry of Defence UAP archive (2009 partial declassification). Captain Uyrangê Hollanda interview, Brazilian UFO Magazine (1997). Operation Prato military documentation.