A declassified mission report (MISREP) from the 50th Attack Squadron, released by USCENTCOM to AARO in September 2025, details a 2023 MQ-9 Reaper ISR mission launched from Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE in support of Operation Spartan Shield. During a long-endurance flight of over 20 hours, the aircraft conducted surveillance near Iranian airspace and received a brief radio warning from Iranian air defenses to maintain distance, which was acknowledged without further incident. While on station at roughly 23,000–24,300 feet, the crew observed two unidentified anomalous phenomena within about an hour of each other. Both objects were described as solid and fast-moving (approximately 320 mph and 440 mph), considered benign. The first object was noted to have a cold infrared signature, while data on the second’s thermal characteristics was unavailable. The report does not identify the objects and records many characteristics as unknown, situating the encounters in a sensitive operational environment near Iranian-controlled airspace during routine intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.