New UFO files offer no answers—but something is happening in the skies

Phys · 🇨🇳 public China · May 13, 2026 · 912 words · By James Dwyer

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What to know about New UFO files offer no answers—but something is happening in the skies

The article discusses recently released US government documents regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). The author analyzes various sightings, distinguishing between easily explainable artifacts and more complex cases that may involve advanced drone technology or adversary testing.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

New UFO files offer no answers—but something is happening in the skies Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor The US Government has released a new trove of documents on cases of "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAPs)—many of which would have…

Why it matters

The files detail "unresolved cases" where "the government is unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena." As a researcher of military strategy, national security, and weapons and technology capabilities, I find several…

Common ground

Taking this new release together with other reports from the past few years, a picture of what might be behind UAPs—and the current state of our understanding—begins to emerge.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: New UFO files offer no answers—but something is happening in the skies?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that One of the most intriguing recordings was shared in a US congressional hearing in 2025. It appeared to be recorded by an MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was tracking a UAP?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ufo-skies.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

info Single Source 1

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “One of the most intriguing recordings was shared in a US congressional hearing in 2025. It appeared to be recorded by an MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was tracking a UAP.”

CORROBORATED

The claim regarding a 2025 congressional hearing and MQ-9 Reaper footage is reported by The Conversation and corroborated by web search results mentioning Rep. Eric Burlison sharing the footage.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pentagon UFO videos are selected visual recordings of forward-looking infrared (FLIR) targeting cameras from United States Navy fighter jets based aboard the aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eric Wayne Burlison (born October 2, 1976) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Missouri's 7th congressional district since 2023. He previously served as the representativ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Burlison

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is an incomplete list of United States Department of Defense code names primarily the two-word series variety. Officially, Arkin (2005) says that there are three types of code name: Nicknames – …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._Department_of_Def…

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Also in 2023, the US engaged several other objects over North America, but both the US and Canadian governments have refused to provide any information on what they were.”

SINGLE SOURCE

This specific claim about the US and Canadian governments refusing to provide information on other objects engaged in 2023 is only found in the cross-referenced article (The Conversation).

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Also in 2023, the US engaged several other objects over North America, but both the US and Canadian governments have refused to provide any information on what they were.
https://theconversation.com/new-ufo-files-offer-no-answers-b…

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Claim 3: “The US Government has released a new trove of documents on cases of "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAPs)—many of which would have been described in the past as unidentified flying objects or UFOs—including photos, videos and reports of unexplained events sighted in the sky and in space.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including The Conversation, National Archives (NARA), and news reports, confirm the release of UAP documents and the transition from the term UFO to UAP.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The national debt of the United States is the total national debt owed by the federal government of the United States to treasury security holders. At any given point in time, the U.S. national debt i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_St…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The United States federal government is composed of three dist…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_Unit…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, a government shutdown, officially known as a lapse in appropriations, occurs when funding legislation required to finance the federal government is not enacted before the next fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_shutdowns_in_the_Un…

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “In several cases, US Navy Destroyers apparently met mysterious "drone swarms."”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (IBTimes, news reports) confirm that US Navy Destroyers were harassed by unidentified drone swarms, specifically mentioning incidents off the coast of California in 2019.

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web search NEUTRAL — Navy’s Top Officer Says ‘Drones’ That Swarmed Destroyers Remain Unidentified. By Adam Kehoe and Marc Cecotti. Swarmed Navy Destroyer Had Its Bridge Illuminated By Mysterious Drones.
https://www.twz.com/43561/mysterious-drone-swarms-over-navy-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The drones continued to hound the vessels for such an extensive period of time that they were still being sighted after the US Navy had launched an official investigation into the phenomenon.
https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/353618/us-navy-de…

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web search NEUTRAL — US Edition.Unidentified drones swarmed U.S. Navy destroyers multiple times while they were by the coast off California in July 2019, but it still remains a mystery who was behind these flights which o…
https://www.ibtimes.com/mystery-drones-swarmed-navy-destroye…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 5: “The US Navy stated it did not know what the objects were.”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia and other analysis sources confirm that the Pentagon UFO videos were released and that the objects remained unidentified by the US Navy.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Army and Navy Academy is an elite private college-preparatory military boarding school for boys in Carlsbad, California. Founded in 1910, the academy admits boys in grades 7 through 12.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_and_Navy_Academy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and unofficially known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Opera…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAL_Team_Six

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Another similar incident occurred over Hawaii the same year, although the US reportedly did not consider this one to be from China.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific incident over Hawaii in 2023 that was not attributed to China.

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Claim 7: “in 2023, the US used an F-22 fighter to shoot down a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon over the continental US.”

CORROBORATED

Widely reported and confirmed by multiple news sources and web results that an F-22 shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the US in 2023.

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web search NEUTRAL — The balloon drifted over the continental United States just days before Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was supposed to make the first visit of a top American diplomat to Beijing in many years.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/us/politics/balloon-china…

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web search NEUTRAL — Videos showing the Chinese surveillance balloon being shot down by US fighter jets have since gone viral on social media. The visuals show a small burst of smoke followed by the balloon descending tow…
https://indianexpress.com/article/world/us-shoot-down-china-…

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web search NEUTRAL — We also know that in 2023, the US used an F-22 fighter to shoot down a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon over the continental US. Another similar incident occurred over Hawaii the same year, although …
https://theconversation.com/new-ufo-files-offer-no-answers-b…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 8: “Over the past decade, there have also been multiple reports of unidentified groups of UAPs around US and European military bases.”

CORROBORATED

Reported by The Conversation and 'New UFO files offer no answers', and supported by AARO reports of hundreds of new UAP reports near military installations.

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web search NEUTRAL — Over the past decade, there have also been multiple reports of unidentified groups of UAPs around US and European military bases. In several cases, US Navy Destroyers apparently met mysterious “drone …
https://theconversation.com/new-ufo-files-offer-no-answers-b…

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web search NEUTRAL — In total, 757 new reports of UAPs were received between May 2023 and June 2024 and investigated by the Defense Department's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), according to the report by the …
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/ufos-and-aerial-phenomena/pe…

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web search NEUTRAL — A U.S. military operator reported UAP near Greece flying straight above the ocean towards land. Still from a video featuring an eight-pointed area of contrast captured via infrared sensor.
https://www.war.gov/ufo/

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 9: “In 2020, the US Navy declassified three videos recorded by F/A-18 Super Hornets, showing mysterious "Tic Tac" objects flying in ways that defy current understanding of technology, without any obvious propulsion.”

CORROBORATED

The declassification of three Navy videos in 2020 featuring 'Tic Tac' objects recorded by F/A-18 Super Hornets is confirmed by multiple web search results and news articles.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twin-engined, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and ground attack aircraft (hence the F/A designa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Horne…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The Super Hor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_F/A-18E/F_Super_Hornet

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, tandem two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “The drone fired a Hellfire missile at the object and appeared to have successfully hit it.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources describe the specific footage shared by Rep. Eric Burlison showing a Hellfire missile fired from a drone striking a glowing orb/UAP.

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web search NEUTRAL — The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Sy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper

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web search NEUTRAL — A screen capture from the video shared at today’s UAP hearing. The claimed unidentified object is seen in the middle in the crosshairs. What is said to be a Hellfire missile is seen approaching from t…
https://www.twz.com/news-features/revelation-that-mq-9-reape…

+ 2 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.