1st US UFO documents, photos released. Notable Florida sightings

The U.S. Department of Defense released 17 pages of previously classified documents on May 8, 2025, under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). The files, available at war.gov/ufo, mark the first batch of government records on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), following President Donald Trump’s February 2025 directive to declassify materials related to alien and extraterrestrial life. Florida has the second-highest number of UFO sightings in the U.S., with 8,872 reports since 1995, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. Notable cases include a 1944 Tampa incident where a black cylindrical object appeared near P-38 aircraft during dogfights. Witnesses observed the object for three to four minutes. Another significant event occurred on March 31, 1967, when U.S. military radar operators at Homestead Air Force Base and Key West tracked eight unidentified objects over South Florida for four hours. A launch crew member described one object as moving like a meteorite but flying level. Civilian observers also reported the sighting. Later analysis revealed that Spanish-speaking operators at Key West Naval Air Station intercepted Cuban air defense communications in 1967. Two MiG-21 jets were scrambled after an unidentified metallic sphere, traveling at nearly Mach 1, approached Cuban airspace at 33,000 feet. The object had no visible markings or propulsion system, according to reports by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. The release follows years of congressional hearings, including testimony from three former military members in 2023 who discussed national security threats posed by UAPs. Earlier that year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed over 500 UAP reports between 2004 and 2022, with NASA also holding a public hearing on the topic.