The Pentagon released a sixth batch of UAP records containing 71 items dated from 1952 to 2025, including a 16mm color film of a July 2, 1952 sighting near Tremonton, Utah filmed by Navy photographer Delbert C. Newhouse. Documents show the Defense Department contracted Robert Bigelow’s company under AAWSAP, which received funding in the tens of millions to study advanced aerospace concepts. Project Blue Book and balloon experts largely judged the Tremonton objects to be pillow balloons, though some reviewers expressed skepticism. The release also includes a March 1952 briefing by Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt noting roughly 20% of ~800 cases came from reliable observers and remained unexplained.
Pentagon Publishes 1952 16mm Film of Navy Photographer’s Utah Sighting; AAWSAP Records Also Released
Image by exoimperator, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Pentagon on Friday released its sixth batch of records related to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), adding 71 items to public archives that span 1952 through 2025. The release includes 67 documents from the Department of Defense and four files from Colorado law enforcement — in total 55 PDF documents, one audio file and 15 videos. Sixty-four of the 71 files contain redactions.
AAWSAP Contracts and Funding
Among the newly disclosed records are expense reports and contracts showing the Defense Department contracted a private company owned by Robert Bigelow to study advanced aerospace concepts and UAP reports under the classified initiative called the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP). Established by the Defense Intelligence Agency, AAWSAP operated from 2008 to 2012. Accounting documents in the release indicate the program received funding in the tens of millions of dollars.
"One aspect of the future threat environment involves advanced aerospace weapon system applications. The objective of this program is to understand the physics and engineering of these applications as they apply to the foreign threat out to the far term, i.e., from now through the year 2050."
Historical Briefings and Witness Records
The release also includes witness testimony and historical recordings. A March 1952 briefing by Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, who led Project Blue Book, was posted as both a transcript and an audio file. In that briefing Ruppelt said that roughly 20% of about 800 cases originated from reliable observers and remained unexplained at the time.
The Tremonton, Utah Footage (July 2, 1952)
One of the most notable videos is a surviving 16mm color film shot by Navy warrant officer and photographer Delbert C. Newhouse on July 2, 1952, near Tremonton, Utah. Newhouse — driving with his family — stopped and filmed a cluster of bright objects. He later reported seeing 12–14 reflective bodies, which he described as resembling two disks stacked on one another. The surviving footage shows a group of luminous shapes moving in a loose circular pattern.
At the time, Project Blue Book personnel reviewed the film along with balloon specialists and representatives from General Mills. The consensus among most reviewers was that the objects closely resembled pillow balloons in flight and behaved consistently with that explanation. However, at least one General Mills representative raised doubts, observing that the objects appeared unusually bright and seemed to maneuver faster than typical balloons.
What To Read Next
The newly released files provide additional context on both modern and historical UAP reporting and research. All items from this batch are publicly available online for independent review and analysis.
Help us improve.
