The Unidentified Object over Pantex, September 2015: The Full Incident Report
The Unidentified Object over Pantex, September 2015: The Full Incident Report
Source file: DOE-UAP-D005_Pantex-Unidentified-Object-Incident-Report_2015.pdf Originating agency: Department of Energy / NNSA, Pantex Plant (Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC) Document type: Official incident report with transmittal letter Date: September 1, 2015 (the incident, per the report narrative); September 2, 2015 (report cover page); September 9, 2015 (transmittal letter) Classification: UCNI (Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information); markings struck through in the released copy; redactions of names and system details in the body text Page count: 7 (all read): transmittal letter + a 6-page report VIRIN: 260710-O-D0360-1131 PURSUE Release: 4
Summary
This is the "Pantex Unidentified Object Incident Report" in full: six pages, together with a transmittal letter from Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) to the Deputy Assistant Manager for Safeguards & Security at the NNSA Production Office in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Pantex Plant, near Amarillo, Texas, is the site where the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile is physically assembled, disassembled, and maintained.
According to the report narrative, on September 1, 2015, at approximately 0710 hours, the plant's Ground Surveillance Radar (GSR) detection system identified an unknown object flying "in a non-threatening manner" west of Pantex facilities, on a northerly trajectory, at 10 to 15 mph. The Protective Force responded under the approved Security Incident Response to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) plan, all plant gates were immediately secured, and patrols deployed to protect assets. A Lieutenant and a Security Police Officer (SPO) pursued the object, got out of their vehicle to view it directly from below, and reported that it made no sound and that even through binoculars no propulsion system of any kind could be identified. Another team in an armored vehicle tracked it via a CROWS camera for 3 to 5 minutes at 100 to 200 feet above the ground. Witnesses described a "diamond" type shape, rounder at the top, about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide at the bottom, but disagreed on its color: black according to some, silver, red, and blue according to others. The report notes that the object "seemed to increase in speed and changed direction as it was being followed," until it was lost beyond the plant boundary. All evidence was turned over to an FBI agent whose name is redacted, and video from the radar tower was sent to Sandia National Laboratories for analysis. Pages 5 and 6, the images, were originally released in a more redacted form as document DOE-UAP-D001.
Research Article
The Full Report, No Longer Just Two Pages
The document's first importance is archival. In May 2026, the PURSUE initiative released only two pages of this report, pages 5 and 6, under the designation DOE-UAP-D001 ("Enhanced Pantex Imagery"): the radar tower image and the Sandia enhanced photographs, with no context whatsoever. The narrative pages, the date, the circumstances, and the operational response remained unknown. Release 4 closes that gap: here is the complete six-page report, together with its official transmittal letter, and it answers nearly every question the partial release left open. Moreover, page 5 appears here in a more exposed version: the background of the image, which in the DOE-UAP-D001 version was hidden beneath a (b)(3) exemption box, now shows power poles, a building, and a horizon line, that is, full visual context for the capture of the object.
A small internal inconsistency in the record is worth noting: the report narrative opens with "On September 1, 2015 at approximately 0710 hours," while the report's cover page is dated September 2, 2015, and the transmittal letter refers to "the Pantex Unidentified Object that occurred on September 2, 2015." The official release data gives September 1. Most likely the cover page and letter reflect the dates the report was drafted and reviewed, but the document does not explicitly reconcile the discrepancy.
The Timeline: Five Minutes on Ground Surveillance Radar
According to the report, at approximately 0708 hours a party whose identity is redacted detected an object approximately 1.75 miles southwest of Z-12 South, traveling at 10 to 15 mph. The "Ground Surveillance Radar Tracks" map on page 4 shows five track points, TP-1 (07:09) through TP-5 (07:13), in a nearly straight south-to-north line west of the plant complexes. The object was initially identified just north of Highway 60, and several additional radar hits were received as it traversed to the north-northwest.
The institutional response is documented in detail: the Protective Force responded in accordance with the NPO-approved plan, "Security Incident Response to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)"; all plant pedestrian and vehicle gates leading into and out of security areas were immediately secured upon identification of the unknown object; and Protective Force patrols moved to positions ensuring "the protection of assets." The report emphasizes twice that the object at no time appeared threatening and never came close to sensitive assets, remaining over open, unpopulated areas of the plant before proceeding offsite.
The Pursuit and the Witness Accounts: No Sound, No Visible Propulsion
A Lieutenant (Lt.) and a Security Police Officer (SPO) in the area spotted the object and followed it north, attempting to intercept its path over Pantex Drive to view it directly from below. Unable to catch up to it, they stopped their vehicle and got out. Two details of their account stand out: "Once outside, they noted that the object did not make any sound," and "the Lt. and SPO stated that they were unable to identify any type of propulsion system on the object while using binoculars." After viewing it for 1 to 2 minutes, the object continued north offsite. The two followed it for several miles until they lost it for lack of roadway access; it was last seen near the junction of County Road G and F.M. 1342. The Carson County Sheriff's office was notified, and a Deputy who met the pair did not see the object but undertook to search the area. Two sentences in the report acquire added weight in hindsight: "It was noted that the object seemed to increase in speed and changed direction as it was being followed," and its last known direction was east-northeast, a complete departure from the consistent northerly track the radar had recorded.
In parallel, Security Police Officers in a Bearcat were able to locate and track the object via the camera of a Common Remotely Operated Weapon System (CROWS) as it traversed the plant, for 3 to 5 minutes, from a distance of approximately 75 to 100 meters, with the object at 100 to 200 feet above the ground. In their debrief, the Lt. and SPO described a "diamond" type shape, more round at the top; another SPO viewing through binoculars described an object approximately 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide at the bottom, thinner at the top. The report explicitly notes "discrepancies in the color of the object": some personnel said black, others silver, red, and blue.
The Imagery, Sandia, and the FBI
Video was obtained from the GSR tower closest to the object and "subsequently sent to Sandia National Labs for further study." The report itself concedes that "the video does not provide much detail of the object due to the distance of the object to the GSR tower." Page 5 presents a frame from that video, the object circled in the upper right, this time against a visible background; page 6 presents the two enhanced images produced by Sandia, in which the object appears as a dark mass above a lighter, wider base, roughly the "rounded-top diamond" silhouette the witnesses described. The narrative's closing line is perhaps the most intriguing: "All evidence of the incident (i.e. statements, video, etc.) were turned over to FBI agent [REDACTED]." In other words, the full raw record, including witness statements not present in the released package, passed to a federal investigative body, and its trail beyond this document is unknown.
The redactions in the released copy are consistent in character: the addressee's name at Oak Ridge, the signer's name (a Senior Director, Pantex SS&ES Operations) and contact details, the identity of the system operator who detected the object at 0708, and the FBI agent's name. The UCNI markings on every page are struck through for public release, consistent with the document having been unclassified but controlled when written.
Significance
Pantex is not an ordinary sensitive site: it is the physical bottleneck of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. This report documents an unidentified object that intruded into that site's airspace, was observed simultaneously by radar, by a CROWS camera, and by the naked eyes of several professional security officers, was never identified, made no sound, displayed no visible propulsion, and changed its behavior when pursued. The report offers no explanation for the phenomenon, and the evidence was handed to the FBI. Within the PURSUE collection, this document completes DOE-UAP-D001, transforming it from an opaque set of images into a full incident file, and it joins the through-line running from the nuclear sites of 1949 (the Los Alamos conference, DOE-UAP-D004) to the present day: unidentified aerial phenomena over the nuclear weapons infrastructure, documented through official channels and investigated without resolution. Precision requires noting, however, that the report itself characterizes the object's behavior as "non-threatening," and its description (small size, slow speed) is also consistent with an unmanned aircraft or a drifting object, possibilities the report does not adjudicate.
Key People
| Role | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Signer of the transmittal letter | Name redacted, Senior Director, Pantex SS&ES Operations | The initials GDW:ljv appear on the letter |
| Addressee | Name redacted, Deputy Assistant Manager for Safeguards & Security, NNSA Production Office | Oak Ridge, Tennessee |
| Primary witnesses | A Lieutenant (Lt.) and a Security Police Officer (SPO), names not given | Observed the object directly and through binoculars; pursued it offsite |
| Additional witnesses | Security Police Officers in a Bearcat and other Protective Force personnel | Tracked it via CROWS camera; provided the shape and color descriptions |
| Investigative recipient | FBI agent, name redacted | Received all evidence of the incident |
| Image analysis | Sandia National Laboratories | Produced the enhanced images (page 6) |
Locations
| Location | Details |
|---|---|
| Pantex Plant | The U.S. nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility near Amarillo, Texas; scene of the incident |
| Z-12 South | Reference point for the first radar detection (1.75 miles to its southwest) |
| Highway 60 and Pantex Drive | Axis of the initial identification and the Lt. and SPO's interception attempt |
| County Road G / F.M. 1342 | The point where the object was last seen |
| Carson County, Texas | The local Sheriff's Deputy joined the search |
| Oak Ridge, Tennessee | Seat of the NNSA Production Office, the report's addressee |
Incidents
| Incident | Date | Location | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown object detected by Ground Surveillance Radar (GSR) | September 1, 2015, approx. 0708-0710 hours | West of Pantex facilities | 2 |
| Pursuit and direct observation: no sound, no visible propulsion | September 1, 2015 | Pantex Drive and north to County Road G / F.M. 1342 | 2 |
| CROWS camera tracking: 3 to 5 minutes at 100-200 feet | September 1, 2015 | Over plant grounds | 3 |
| Evidence turned over to an FBI agent; video sent to Sandia | September 2015 | Pantex | 3 |
Notable Quotes
"Once outside, they noted that the object did not make any sound." -- p. 2 of 6
"The Lt. and SPO stated that they were unable to identify any type of propulsion system on the object while using binoculars." -- p. 2 of 6
"It was noted that the object seemed to increase in speed and changed direction as it was being followed." -- p. 2 of 6
"Their perspective of the object was that it was a 'diamond' type shape with it being more round at the top." -- p. 3 of 6
"All evidence of the incident (i.e. statements, video, etc.) were turned over to FBI agent [REDACTED]." -- p. 3 of 6
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