Recording from the U.S. drone MQ-9 Reaper, shown during the U.S. legislature meeting, is to depict an unidentified flying object that survived the Hellfire rocket strike without any visible damage. The movie was recorded over Yemen's waters in late 2024 and first made public in September 2025. Are we actually dealing with a breakthrough in UAP past (unidentified anomalous phenomena) or just another obscure video sequence?
Photo Screenshot from the movie "Leaked video of US hellfire rocket bouncing off UFO shown to congress", YouTube/The Independent (@theindependent)
U.S. legislature is watching footage from Yemen
On 9 September 2025, during a proceeding before the UAP home of Representatives committee, Congressman Eric Burlison presented the video footage he said he received from the signalist. The recording, dated October 30, 2024, was to be recorded by drone MQ-9 Reaper operating on the Red Sea, in the area of armed action involving Huti militants.
The video shows a spherical, bright object moving in the air — the alleged orb (meaning a spherical flying object, most frequently without visible drive). At any point you can see the Hellfire rocket firing towards this object. According to Burlison's interpretation, it comes in contact, but without detonation or destruction. The rocket continues to fly, and the orb remains intact.
The Pentagon is silent and experts share their opinions
The recording was presented publicly, but so far no authoritative comment has been made by the Department of Defense. Telemetry data from the mission were not made available or the material was not authenticated. Burlison noted that the movie requires independent analysis and does not prejudge its final interpretation.
There is no deficiency of skepticism among commentators. any experts point out that the recording was made in thermal mode, which importantly limits the anticipation of assessing the situation. The missile's flight path, camera position and deficiency of sound data can lead to a misinterpretation — the rocket may have passed the target, not activated the warhead or hit an atmospheric anomaly alternatively than an actual object.
Lue Elizondo, a erstwhile Pentagon authoritative associated with UAP research, said: "We have never seen a Hellfire rocket hit a mark and bounce off it. It's a high-power weapon. If it hits something physical, it usually does not leave much of it.”
What are orbs and how do they fit into UAP research?
Orb is an informal word utilized to describe small, spherical, frequently glowing objects that do not display the characteristics of classical drive and decision in a hard way to explain aerodynamics. Unlike the concept of UFOs, the word orb is more descriptive and devoid of connotation of the "vehicle".
UAP — or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena — is the authoritative neutral name adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense. It covers a wide spectrum of phenomena: from drones and balloons, through atmospheric anomalies to unidentified forms of energy or technologies whose origin remains unclear.
750 fresh UAP cases and voltage around the Disclosure Act
According to a study by the Bureau of recognition of Anomalia (AARO), published in June 2024, over 750 fresh UAP cases were reported during the erstwhile 12 months. Most of them came from military systems and have not yet been full explained. Only a tiny percent of cases were classified as "untranslated despite available data".
In 2024, the U.S. legislature debated the Disclosure Act, which was to oblige national institutions to disclose all the information they had on UAP. However, the key provisions of the Act were blocked. It is inactive unclear how many materials stay classified and what their analytical position is.
What does Yemen video truly show?
Burlison’s video is undoubtedly a origin of emotion. But as in many cases related to UAP, key data are missing: radar data, full video sequences, trajectory analyses, image sources. It's hard to talk about a breakthrough without it.
There are many possibilities: from the thermal effect and misinterpretation, through the investigating of fresh technology, to the actual encounter with the object of unknown origin. But no of these explanations — neither the most mundane nor the most fantastic — can be considered conclusive today.
So it is worth not only to ask what the recording presents, but also: why it is shown right now, who cares about heating up the subject and what interests accompany discussions about "disclosure of truth" about UFOs.
Source: ABC News
