ISR Mission Report from Iraq: UAP Observation Over Baghdad, December 2022

Source file: dow-uap-d18-mission-report-iraq-december-2022.pdf Originating agency: Department of Defense / DoD Modern UAP – USCENTCOM Date range: 1–2 December 2022 Page count: 6 (all reviewed) High-significance pages: 1 (narrative and UAP incident), 4 (mission timeline), 6 (detailed UAP description)

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Official Blurb (from war.gov)

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or "general text" section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report. A U.S. military operator reported observing one "possible UAP" flying from west to east. The observer did not pursue the UAP. All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter's subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

Summary

This document is a classified ISR-type Mission Report (MISREP) produced by the 482ATKS unit of the U.S. Air Force, under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE in Iraq. On December 1, 2022, during an aerial reconnaissance mission over Baghdad, a possible unidentified aerial object (UAP/UAV) was identified. The aircraft observed a single object flying west to east. No known signatures were found for the object, and no effects on persons were reported. The mission continued unchanged after the observation.

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Research Article

Introduction

In 2022, while U.S. forces continued to operate in Iraq under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, a classified Mission Report reached the 609 AOC air-ground center describing the observation of an unidentified aerial object over Baghdad. The report, classified SECRET/NOFORN at the time of its drafting, was withheld until 2047 and subsequently released to the public in October 2025 after the removal of its classification by General Richard A. Harrison, Chief of Staff of USCENTCOM. This document constitutes primary evidence by U.S. forces of a UAP phenomenon in the Middle Eastern operational theater.

Mission framework

The mission was flown by a single aircraft of the 482ATKS unit (482nd Attack Squadron) of the Air Force's 20th Wing, under MAJCOM ACC command beneath USCENTCOM. The aircraft took off from OKAS base (ICAO code) on December 1, 2022 at 12:06Z and landed back at OKAS on December 2 at 07:23Z after a mission lasting 19 hours and 17 minutes.

The purpose of the mission was ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) of the TARGET DEV type — that is, the development of intelligence targets. The primary sensor employed was FMV (Full Motion Video) with an additional AH/BLASPHEMY sensor. The mission included scanning to identify HVIs (High Value Individuals), POIs (Persons of Interest), ADMs, armament, convoys, and guard positions.

Mission course

The full timeline of the mission, as it appears in the report, is as follows:

• 12:06Z — takeoff from OKAS base
• 12:20Z — arrival in the mission area and handover from the LRE (Local Remote Element)
• 13:23Z to 06:26Z — SIGINT (signals intelligence) collection via AIRHANDLER
• 15:18Z to 04:26Z — support of the ISR operation over Baghdad, Iraq, including HVI/POI scans
• 16:20Z — identification of a possible UAP object
• 04:26Z — released from the mission
• 06:55Z — control handed back to the LRE
• 07:23Z — landing at OKAS

In other words, the aircraft remained on station for 18 hours and 35 minutes. Weather conditions were not a limiting factor. Precoord effectiveness was rated as satisfactory.

The central UAP incident

At 16:20Z on December 1, 2022, during the mission, the aircraft's sensor identified an unidentified object. The known particulars from the report:

• Number of objects observed: 1
• Direction of motion: west to east
• Location: IVO (In Vicinity Of) coordinates 38SMB42[REDACTED]83[REDACTED] near Baghdad, Iraq
• Friendly aircraft altitude at the time of observation: FL180 (roughly 18,000 feet)
• UAP signatures: none identified
• RF frequency: not measured
• Effects on persons: none reported
• Physical condition of the UAP: unknown

The GENTEXT (general text) of the UAP report is quoted directly from the document (after removal of redacted particulars): "[REDACTED] OBSERVED 1X POSSIBLE UAP/UAV FLYING WEST TO EAST IVO 38SMB42[REDACTED]83[REDACTED]. [REDACTED] DID NOT FOLLOW UAP. [REDACTED] CONTINUED THE MISSION AS TASKED, NO FURTHER EVENTS WERE OBSERVED."

The aircraft did not follow the unidentified object and chose to continue the original mission as it had been tasked.

Report structure and its significance

The report was filed as a MISREP (Mission Report) comprising the following sections: general narrative, mission narrative (empty in the released version), administration, ACEQUIP (information on the aircraft's equipment), timeline, and specific UAP data. The inclusion of a separate UAP section within the mission report indicates that an established protocol exists for reporting UAP within the standard MISREP reporting framework.

It is important to note: the MISREP does not classify the object as a "confirmed UAP" but as a "POSSIBLE UAP/UAV" — meaning it could also be a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) of a known type. However, because the object was not identified and could not be attributed to a known platform, it was included in the official report.

Significance

This document is one of a series of UAP reports held by USCENTCOM and later released in keeping with transparency and UAP-disclosure laws. It demonstrates the following:

First, the Iraq and Baghdad area is a region where UAP have been observed during military operations, in addition to other areas such as the Persian Gulf and the East China Sea.

Second, the established reporting protocol shows that by 2022 the U.S. military had developed a standardized system for reporting UAP, including dedicated fields for describing the object, its location, its signatures, and its effects.

Third, the "continue the mission" policy is evident in the report: the aircraft did not follow the UAP and did not alter the mission, indicating clear guidance to crews on how to act upon such an identification.

Fourth, the level of FMV processing (Full Motion Video) was passed for analysis by DGS-AR (Distributed Ground Station – Army Reserve), implying that the video material of the incident was preserved and analyzed separately.

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Key People

Person	Role
MG Richard A. Harrison	Chief of Staff of USCENTCOM; signed the declassification on October 8, 2025
A1C [name redacted]	Primary point of contact (POC), unit 482ATKS, 20th Wing, 603 AOC operations center
SrA [name redacted]	Report approver, unit 609 AOC, Air Force service
Ctr [name redacted]	Quality control (QC), unit 12 AF PAROC

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Locations

Location	Description
OKAS	Takeoff and landing base (ICAO code; likely Kandahar, Afghanistan, or another base in the region)
Baghdad, Iraq	Primary mission area
38SMB42[REDACTED]83[REDACTED]	Precise coordinates of the UAP observation (partially redacted)

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Incidents

Incident	Date	Location	Pages
ISR aircraft takeoff from OKAS base	01 December 2022, 12:06Z	OKAS	1, 4
SIGINT collection begins via AIRHANDLER	01 December 2022, 13:23Z	Iraq area	1
ISR support over Baghdad begins	01 December 2022, 15:18Z	Baghdad, Iraq	1, 5
Possible UAP/UAV identification	01 December 2022, 16:20Z	IVO Baghdad, Iraq	1, 6
Released from mission and return to base	02 December 2022, 04:26Z	-	1, 4
Landing at OKAS	02 December 2022, 07:23Z	OKAS	4

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Notable Quotes

From the primary narrative (page 1):

"AT 1620Z, [REDACTED] OBSERVED POSSIBLE UAP. SEE UAP LINE 1."

From the detailed UAP description (page 6):

"[REDACTED] OBSERVED 1X POSSIBLE UAP/UAV FLYING WEST TO EAST IVO 38SMB42[REDACTED]83[REDACTED]. [REDACTED] DID NOT FOLLOW UAP. [REDACTED] CONTINUED THE MISSION AS TASKED, NO FURTHER EVENTS WERE OBSERVED."

From the weather section (page 5):

"WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR"

From the UAP section (page 6):

"UAP Effects on Persons: NONE REPORTED"