Among the files in PURSUE Release 01 is a June 1, 2024 infrared recording made by a US aircraft flying over the Gulf of Oman. The accompanying mission report describes an object with a vertical pole or bar attached to the bottom, resembling an inverted teardrop, moving quickly over the water. An observer noted it may have been a reflection from an object in the water. AARO has not resolved it.
What the File Shows
The Gulf of Oman case is one of at least three PURSUE files pertaining to UAE waters or the wider Middle East. The inverted teardrop plus vertical pole is a distinctive morphology not consistent with any common consumer drone, balloon, or bird. The suggestion that it may be a water reflection introduces an alternative explanation but does not resolve the case. This is precisely why AARO listed it as unresolved.
The Gulf of Oman Context
The Gulf of Oman is the eastern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of global oil trade passes. US military aerial surveillance in the region is continuous and intensive. In 2024, regional tensions made this one of the most actively monitored airspaces on Earth. A UAP here with an unusual morphology, captured by military infrared, in an operationally sensitive waterway during a period of heightened surveillance, is not a routine report.
The Wider UAE Pattern
The PURSUE portal slideshow includes PR-026, described as a UAE October 2023 incident, as one of 16 highlighted cases from Release 01. At least three files in total pertain to UAE-area sightings. The Gulf of Oman, the UAE coastline, and the broader Persian Gulf region appear as a recurring cluster in the unresolved case dataset. The region’s military significance and continuous surveillance presence makes it both the most likely place to record UAP and the most sensitive place to acknowledge them.
Sources: The National News, Thomas Watkins, May 8, 2026. PURSUE Release 01, war.gov/ufo. AARO case records.