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FBI·2025-09-15·Released 2026-05-08·Status: unresolved·1 min read

Western US FBI Imagery

Black-hot infrared imagery and witness composite documentation from western US encounters, captured during 2025 by FBI personnel and aviation crews.

Black-hot infrared image showing a small bright object against a darker sky.

FBI Photo A5: black-hot infrared still of an unidentified object photographed over the western United States, December 2025.

FBI / declassified via PURSUE 2026

Black-hot infrared photograph from above looking down at terrain with a small bright object.

FBI Photo B7: black-hot infrared still showing an unidentified object below a helicopter, western US, September 2025.

FBI / declassified via PURSUE 2026

Incident date
2025-09-15
Released
2026-05-08
Source
FBI
Location
Western United States
Sensors
Infrared camera, Visual camera
Media
image, document
File ID
FBI Photo A5, B7 (PURSUE)
Last verified
2026-05-08

Official description

FBI Photo A5 and FBI Photo B7, black-hot infrared stills of unidentified objects observed over the western United States. Photo A5 was captured in December 2025; Photo B7 in September 2025 from a helicopter.

Editor's context

Black-hot IR imagery emphasizes warm objects against cool backgrounds. Without corroborating radar tracks, the visible morphology alone is rarely conclusive. The FBI's continuing role in collecting and reviewing UAP imagery is itself a notable feature of the post-2023 disclosure landscape.

In the margins

Transcribed redactions, stamps, and handwritten markings, the paratext of the file. Often the most human part of a declassified document, and worth reading on its own.

  • Stampp. FBI release cover
    FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, UAP IMAGERY COLLECTION
  • Stamp
    FBI PHOTO A5 (December 2025) + FBI PHOTO B7 (September 2025)
  • Annotation
    Photo A5: black-hot infrared still over the western US. Photo B7: black-hot IR from a helicopter looking down at terrain with a small bright object.
  • Annotation
    Captured by FBI personnel and aviation crews. Black-hot IR rendering inverts standard thermal contrast: warm objects appear dark against cool sky.

Cite the primary source

Citations center the originating government agency and link to the official record. This archive is listed as the access point, not the author.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Western US FBI Imagery." Released via PURSUE program, 2026-05-08. File ID: FBI Photo A5, B7 (PURSUE). https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-the-pentagons-new-ufo-image-release/. Accessed 2026-05-12 via Social Media for Aliens archive, https://socialmediaforaliens.com/files/western-us-formation-2024.

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