The Pentagon released a fresh batch of UFO-related footage Friday, unveiling dozens of newly declassified videos as part of President Donald Trump’s transparency push surrounding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAPs.
The release marks the second major tranche of records made public under Trump’s order directing federal agencies to declassify unresolved UAP-related material.
One of the most striking videos shows a U.S. fighter jet shooting down an unidentified object over Lake Huron in February 2023, during the tense aftermath of the Chinese spy-balloon saga that triggered national security alarms across Washington.
At the time, military officials publicly acknowledged uncertainty about what exactly had been flying over American airspace.
“We’re calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason,” then-NORAD commander Glen VanHerck said after the interception.
VanHerck also admitted investigators did not know how the object had managed to remain airborne over Lake Huron.
The newly released footage also includes aerial recordings of other unexplained objects moving through the atmosphere, including two mysterious objects observed near a U.S. submarine and another object spotted near Columbus, Ohio.
Pete Hegseth is overseeing the broader review and declassification process, which administration officials say involves combing through tens of millions of government records spread across multiple agencies.
Officials say the process has proven difficult because many historical records exist only in paper form and require extensive review before public release.
Because of the sheer volume of material, the White House developed a phased-release strategy intended to gradually publish unresolved UAP-related files.
Despite the latest disclosures, the Department of War said investigators still cannot make a “definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena” because of insufficient available data.
The department also encouraged outside experts and private-sector researchers to analyze the released footage and assist in identifying the objects.
Trump said the files were released because of “tremendous public interest” in the long-running mystery surrounding unexplained aerial encounters
Watch the clip below:
WOW! The Pentagon just released a video of an F-16 fighter jet SHOOTING DOWN a UFO
Insane footage
The second tranche of UFO files is now LIVE at https://t.co/QokBEphpDO pic.twitter.com/Pyi7NKzNyY
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 22, 2026
