AARO Case Resolution: The Al Taqaddum Object

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All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)
U.S. Department of War
Case: “The Al Taqaddum Object”
Case Resolution | 8 September 2025
AARO Assessment and Case Status

Case Synopsis

AARO assesses with high confidence that the
Al Taqaddum object did not exhibit anomalous
behavior or capabilities. AARO assesses with
high confidence that the object was consistent
with a cluster of fully and partially inflated
balloons (Figure 1).

Location: Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq

Case Overview

Object Altitude (Reported): Not reported
Object Altitude (Assessed): 850-2,200 feet

On October 23, 2017, an infrared (IR) sensor
aboard an aerostat force protection dirigible
(blimp) operating at 2,700 feet above Al
Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, recorded 17 minutes
and 30 seconds of footage featuring an
unidentified object that appears to be floating
above the ground.

Date: 23 October 2017

Object Speed (Reported): Not reported
Object Speed (Assessed): 4-14 mph
Object Shape (Reported): Abnormally
shaped
Object Shape (Assessed): Balloon shaped

Key Findings

Reporter: Unknown

AARO assesses with high confidence that the
object:

Data Type: Infrared

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Did not exhibit anomalous speed or
other behavior exceeding known stateof-the-art performance characteristics
Was consistent with a cluster of fully
and partially inflated balloons

AARO based this assessment on analysis of
full-motion video, video metadata, line-of-sight,
scenario reconstructions, and weather data
analysis. The object’s appearance and lack of
thermal signatures is consistent with previously
identified balloon clusters, and bolsters
AARO’s assessment of the morphology and
performance characteristics of the object.

Reported Behavior: Floating
Assessed Behavior: The object did not
demonstrate anomalous performance
characteristics.
Confidence: High confidence that the object
did not demonstrate anomalous performance
characteristics. High confidence that the
object was consistent with a cluster of fully
and partially inflated balloons.

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Performance Characteristics
Object Altitude, Flight Path, and Speed: AARO assesses with moderate confidence that the
object’s altitude was between 850-2,200 feet and that the object was moving at 4-14 miles per
hour (mph), due to the variability in both historical and real-time wind data. AARO assesses
with high confidence that the object was traveling within range of wind speed in an east-to-west
direction using locational data from the blimp.
Observable Characteristics and Attribution
Shape: The shapes of fully and partially inflated balloons—as well as dangling strings—are
visible in several instances in the video. The dangling strings’ shape and number change, which
would be consistent with a cluster of balloons changing position relative to the sensor’s point of
view. The fluctuating IR return of the object is a result of the sensor constantly adjusting to
assign grayscale values to every pixel, which maximizes the visual dynamic range in a diverse
and changing background.
Attribution: AARO assesses with high confidence that the object is consistent with a cluster of
fully and partially inflated balloons due to the object’s altitude, flight path, speed, and observed
shape.
Data Quality and Methodology: AARO assesses that the visual and sensor data associated
with the object provides sufficiently detailed information to resolve this case with high
confidence.
Sensor Effects and Limitations: The video is somewhat grainy, becoming increasingly grainy
toward the end of the clip, which is likely due to the object’s increasing distance from the sensor.
Alternative Hypothesis
One of AARO’s partners theorized that the object could be a quadrotor Unmanned Aerial System
(UAS) draped in camouflage netting, though this theory is unlikely for two reasons:
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Movement: A quadrotor UAS would be unlikely to drift with the wind, as this object
does.
Heat signature: The motors of a quadrotor UAS would generate heat visible to an IR
sensor, and the video does not indicate the presence of such heat sources.

Therefore, AARO and its partners discarded this theory, concurring that the object was unlikely
to have been a quadrotor UAS and was more likely a cluster of fully and partially inflated
balloons.

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Figure 1: Stills of the UAP from the 17-minute video. Aerostat deployed at Al Taqaddum Air Base. The
balloons appear as bulbous, rounded shapes; similarly, the strings and deflated balloons can be seen
hanging below. These images were assigned different color temperatures to aid in visualization.

AARO is not a member of the Intelligence Community. This AARO information report should not be
considered finished intelligence. It may contain references to finished intelligence reports,
information provided by AARO’s coordinating interagency partners, or both to provide context, show
relevance, or substantiate AARO analytic perspectives.

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