AARO Middle East MQ-9 Reaper Spherical Metallic Orb EO/IR Track
Persian Gulf / USCENTCOM Maritime Overwatch Corridor (26.2°, 51.5°) • Event Date: 2022-07-12 • NARA RG 615 / AARO USCENTCOM Declassified Case 2022-ME-01
Formally cataloged in PURSUE Release 02 by DoD AARO and USCENTCOM, an MQ-9 Reaper ISR platform tracked a 1.2 m (4 ft) specular metallic sphere across the Persian Gulf (26.2°N, 51.5°E) at 4,572 m (15,000 ft / 4.57 km / 2.84 mi) and 380 mph (0.17 km/s / Mach 0.50) using a gimbaled MX-20 EO/IR turret and WESCAM MX-15D Thermal sensor. Low-altitude daytime metallic spheres and anomalous UAV targets are best resolved with high-contrast 10x50 binoculars[↗], an ADS-B receiver[↗], and an RTK GPS module[↗] for azimuth-elevation logging.
Dual Imperial (ft, mi, mph) & Metric (m, km, km/s) Kinematic Table
Local Gemma Multi-Sensor & CNEOS Correlation Memo
Primary sensor modalities (MX-20 EO/IR, WESCAM MX-15D Thermal, Multi-Spectral Laser Rangefinder) recorded the 1.2 m / 4 ft target at 4,572 m / 15,000 ft (4.57 km / 2.84 mi) traveling at 380 mph / 0.17 km/s (Mach 0.50 Subsonic) over signed coordinates (26.2°, 51.5°). Slant-range triangulation from the MQ-9 Reaper’s MX-20 EO/IR gimbal places the 1.2 m (4 ft) sphere at 4,572 m (15,000 ft) MSL moving at 380 mph (0.17 km/s / 170 m/s) against prevailing 35-knot upper winds with zero thermal exhaust plume or aerodynamic lifting surfaces.
Nearest cataloged NASA JPL CNEOS bolide airburst is cneos-fb-86-202402261121 at a great-circle distance of 674.7 km / 419.2 mi (Oceanic Atmospheric Entry Corridor, 2024-02-26 11:21:01 UTC). Calculated CNEOS atmospheric bolide match probability is 44% versus a kinematic anomaly score of 74/100.
TLE Orbital Shell Assessment: Below LEO Perigee (4.57 km / 2.84 mi / 14,993 ft) — Nearest Propagated Shell: NORAD 25544 • ISS Cislunar/LEO Reference Shell (51.64° inc, ~418 km) [J2-Propagated Sub-Point (49.3°, 95.0°), Ground Δ=4516 km]. Satellite specular flare likelihood is evaluated at 13%. Low-altitude daytime metallic spheres and anomalous UAV targets are best resolved with high-contrast 10x50 binoculars[↗], an ADS-B receiver[↗], and an RTK GPS module[↗] for azimuth-elevation logging.
Frequently Asked Questions — Multi-Sensor UAP & CNEOS Verification
What are the exact Imperial and Metric altitude, speed, and size measurements for AARO Middle East MQ-9 Reaper Spherical Metallic Orb EO/IR Track?
Official RELEASE_02 telemetry places the 4 ft (1.2 m) object at an altitude of 4,572 m / 15,000 ft (4.57 km / 2.84 mi) and speed of 380 mph / 0.17 km/s (Mach 0.50 Subsonic) over (26.2°, 51.5°).
Did NASA CNEOS fireball sensors or orbital TLE satellite shells match pursue-r2-mq9-persian-gulf?
Spatiotemporal CNEOS + J2 TLE analysis for AARO Middle East MQ-9 Reaper Spherical Metallic Orb EO/IR Track at (26.2°, 51.5°), altitude 4.57 km (2.84 mi / 14,993 ft), velocity 380 mph (0.17 km/s): Nearest cataloged NASA CNEOS bolide is cneos-fb-86-202402261121 at 674.7 km / 419.2 mi great-circle separation (2024-02-26 11:21:01, Δt=594 days), yielding 44% bolide match probability, 13% J2-propagated TLE flare likelihood, and 74/100 kinematic anomaly score.
Which official war.gov/ufo, AARO, and NARA archives document case pursue-r2-mq9-persian-gulf?
This case is published under PURSUE Release 02 — CENTCOM MQ-9 Reaper EO/IR Metallic Orb & Multi-Sensor Tracks (2026-06-05) via https://www.war.gov/ufo/, https://www.aaro.mil, and https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps (NARA RG 615 / AARO USCENTCOM Declassified Case 2022-ME-01).
AARO Middle East MQ-9 Reaper Spherical Metallic Orb EO/IR Track (RELEASE_02) (H = 9.6, Vmag ≈ -5.7) reaches high surface brightness suitable for 70mm large-aperture binoculars[↗].
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