USAF CENTCOM UAP Encounters — Iraq, Syria, Iran (2022–2024)
U.S. Central Command UAP encounters from 2022 to 2024 dominate the modern military video set in the Pentagon's PURSUE catalog — including the Iraq May 2022 mission report (DOW-UAP-D14), the Syrian 'instant acceleration' clip (PR051), and the four-UAP formation over Iran (PR050).
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) — the combatant command responsible for the Middle East, Central Asia, the Levant, and parts of Northeast Africa — is the originating authority for the largest single block of modern UAP video in the Pentagon's PURSUE catalog. Between 2022 and 2024, CENTCOM aircrews and ISR platforms captured at least nine UAP encounters in the Iraq, Syria, and Iran area of operations, including DOW-UAP-D14 (an Iraq mission report declassified by Major General Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on October 7, 2025), DOW-UAP-PR050 (the August 26 2022 four-UAP formation over Iran), and DOW-UAP-PR051 (the Syrian 'instant acceleration' clip captured by a U.S. military aircraft). All CENTCOM UAP videos are hosted on DVIDS and use forward-looking infrared (FLIR) or electro-optical (EO) sensors.
“Instant acceleration … turning at insane speeds.”
Iraq, May 2022 (DOW-UAP-D14)
DOW-UAP-D14 is a CENTCOM mission report from May 2022 describing a UAP encounter over Iraq. The report was declassified by Major General Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on October 7, 2025 — making it one of the slowest CENTCOM UAP declassifications in the modern record. The encounter was first reported via the standard CENTCOM aviation-mishap-report (AMR) channel and routed to AARO for assessment before declassification approval.
Syria, July 2022 (DOW-UAP-PR051)
DOW-UAP-PR051, the 'Syrian instant acceleration' clip, captures a UAP that the AARO video description notes 'undergoes a near-instantaneous lateral acceleration that the sensor track loses, then reacquires.' The clip is one of the most-shared modern UAP videos on social media and was the subject of the FAQ topic 'syria-uap-instant-acceleration' on UAP.WATCH.
Iran, August 26, 2022 (DOW-UAP-PR050)
DOW-UAP-PR050 is a 17-second FLIR clip from a U.S. military aircraft over Iranian airspace on August 26, 2022. The clip depicts four discrete UAPs in a loose 'box' formation maintaining relative spacing throughout the engagement, with no detectable propulsion signature, no thermal exhaust plume, and no characteristic infrared signature consistent with known platforms.
Why CENTCOM dominates the modern UAP record
CENTCOM's high operational tempo, dense ISR coverage, and high-aspect-ratio FLIR sensor deployment make the AOR the most likely place for transient UAP to be captured on a U.S. military sensor. CENTCOM also has streamlined declassification pathways routed through AARO, allowing faster public release than INDOPACOM or USNORTHCOM. UAP.WATCH indexes the full CENTCOM set under /agency/dod with cross-references to year and region pages.