{"id":20385,"date":"2025-03-20T23:48:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T23:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/?p=20385"},"modified":"2025-03-20T23:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T23:57:26","slug":"dod-report-says-aguadilla-ufo-was-just-sky-lanterns-previous-scientific-studies-claim-otherwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/dod-report-says-aguadilla-ufo-was-just-sky-lanterns-previous-scientific-studies-claim-otherwise\/","title":{"rendered":"DoD Report Says Aguadilla UFO Was Just Sky Lanterns; Previous Scientific Studies Claim Otherwise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Defense\u2019s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has released a new assessment of the 2013 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) event, concluding that the objects recorded on infrared video did not demonstrate anomalous flight characteristics and were likely &#8220;sky lanterns&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The incident, recorded by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aircraft on April 26, 2013, has been widely analyzed since the footage was made public.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-20385-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/documents3.theblackvault.com\/documents\/dod\/DOD_110692805-1920x1080-9000k.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/documents3.theblackvault.com\/documents\/dod\/DOD_110692805-1920x1080-9000k.mp4\">https:\/\/documents3.theblackvault.com\/documents\/dod\/DOD_110692805-1920x1080-9000k.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div><p>The thermal video appears to show an object moving at high speed, splitting into two, and entering the ocean before disappearing.<\/p>\n<p>According to AARO\u2019s March 20, 2025, case resolution report, the video actually depicts two objects traveling near each other rather than a single object splitting apart. The agency stated that a reconstruction of the event using Systems Toolkit (STK) modeling determined that the objects drifted at approximately 8 mph, consistent with wind speed at the time.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-20385-2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/documents3.theblackvault.com\/documents\/dod\/DOD_110874616-1920x1080-9000k.mp4?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/documents3.theblackvault.com\/documents\/dod\/DOD_110874616-1920x1080-9000k.mp4\">https:\/\/documents3.theblackvault.com\/documents\/dod\/DOD_110874616-1920x1080-9000k.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div><p>\u201cThe objects did not exhibit anomalous speeds or other behavior exceeding known state-of-the-art performance characteristics,\u201d the report states\u200b.<\/p>\n<p>AARO\u2019s analysis determined that what appeared to be transmedium behavior\u2014meaning the objects seemed to enter and exit the water\u2014was instead a result of the infrared sensor\u2019s limitations. The report explains that &#8220;thermal crossover,&#8221; a phenomenon in which an object\u2019s heat signature blends with the background, caused the objects to appear to vanish when they reached the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe objects did not enter the water. Rather, the sensor could not distinguish the objects from their environment due to a lack of thermal contrast between them and the ocean,\u201d the report notes\u200b.<\/p>\n<p>AARO also assessed \u201cwith moderate confidence\u201d that the objects were sky lanterns, commonly released by resorts and hotels in the area during celebrations. The report points to the objects&#8217; size, thermal signature variability, and drifting motion as supporting this conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCU Report Contradicts Findings<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), an independent research group, previously conducted an in-depth analysis of the Aguadilla video, reaching a different conclusion. Their study, which examined frame-by-frame infrared data and radar information, suggested that the object displayed speeds exceeding 100 mph and transmedium capabilities. SCU researchers argue that no known aircraft, balloon, or natural phenomenon accounts for the observed behavior.<\/p>\n<p>For further details on SCU\u2019s findings, visit their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.explorescu.org\/post\/2013-aguadilla-puerto-rico-uap-incident-report-a-detailed-analysis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite their previous findings, SCU stated in November that they contacted AARO for their findings on the Aguadilla case, but were told it was going through the pre-publication process.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"605\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47.png 605w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47-150x73.png 150w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47-450x219.png 450w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-20_16-51-47-600x293.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now that it is available, it appears based on the above post SCU is open to evaluating AARO&#8217;s findings. Any updates from them will be posted by The Black Vault.<\/p>\n<p>###<\/p>\n<h3>Document Archive<\/h3>\n<h4>AARO&#8217;s Puerto Rico Case Resolution<\/h4>\n<div class=\"ead-preview\"><div class=\"ead-document\" style=\"position: relative;padding-top: 90%;\"><div class=\"ead-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe src=\"\/\/docs.google.com\/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblackvault.com%2Fdocumentarchive%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F03%2FAARO_Puerto_Rico_UAP_Case_Resolution.pdf&amp;embedded=true&amp;hl=en\" title=\"Embedded Document\" class=\"ead-iframe\" style=\"width: 100%;height: 100%;border: none;position: absolute;left: 0;top: 0;visibility: hidden;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-document-loading\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;left:0;top:0;z-index:10;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-loading-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-loading-main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-loading\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/plugins\/embed-any-document\/images\/loading.svg\" width=\"55\" height=\"55\" alt=\"Loader\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Loading...<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-loading-foot\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-loading-foot-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/plugins\/embed-any-document\/images\/EAD-logo.svg\" alt=\"EAD Logo\" width=\"36\" height=\"23\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Taking too long?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ead-document-btn ead-reload-btn\" role=\"button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/plugins\/embed-any-document\/images\/reload.svg\" alt=\"Reload\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\"\/> Reload document\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>|<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/AARO_Puerto_Rico_UAP_Case_Resolution.pdf\" class=\"ead-document-btn\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/plugins\/embed-any-document\/images\/open.svg\" alt=\"Open\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\"\/> Open in new tab\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><p class=\"embed_download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/AARO_Puerto_Rico_UAP_Case_Resolution.pdf\" download>Download [784.90 KB] <\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Defense\u2019s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has released a new assessment of the 2013 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) event, concluding that the objects recorded on infrared video did not demonstrate anomalous flight characteristics and were likely &#8220;sky lanterns&#8221;. The incident, recorded by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,32],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20385","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-fringe","8":"category-ufo-phenomena"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20385"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20393,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20385\/revisions\/20393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}