This is a Range Fouler Reporting Form, a standardized U.S. Navy document for recording details about unauthorized contacts (aircraft or objects) that interfere with military operations. The form requests specific information about the detection, location, and characteristics of the contact to help with data collection and analysis. A declassified example from October 2020 shows how aircrew document these incidents while protecting their identities.
What is a Range Fouler?
A "range fouler" is an unauthorized aircraft or object that enters a military operating area and interferes with training or operations. The form is designed to capture the circumstances of these encounters in a standardized way.
What information does the form collect?
The form asks for the date, time, and location of the contact, along with details about its movement, altitude, and physical characteristics. It also requests information about sensor data (radar, infrared, electronic warfare indications) and asks the aircrew to describe the contact in their own words. The form emphasizes that identifying information about aircrew and squadrons is sanitized during analysis to protect personnel.
What happened in this October 2020 incident?
On October 15, 2020, aircrew operating at 19,073 feet above the Gulf of Aden tracked a round, cold object on infrared for about one minute. The object was traveling at 20 mph and made several abrupt directional changes. The sensor was positioned 4.06 nautical miles away (slant range) from the contact, which appeared as bright white on the infrared display set to black hot mode.
How is the form submitted and what happens next?
Aircrew are instructed to save the completed form with a specific filename format and email it to a designated address. The form states that submitters should receive a response within 5 business days. Display tapes from the entire interaction are also required to be saved and uploaded to a repository for further review.
Full Document Text
Text extracted directly from the source PDF. Text extraction via abigailhaddad/ufo-releases; original file at war.gov.
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Range Fouler Reportin� Form {see below).
Please complete this form to the best of your ability. If you do n:ot have the requested information,
please leave the field blank. If there was more than one "group!" please report each on a separate
form for data collection purposes. You should receive a response within 5 business days.
Last N!tme, First Name Rank Squadron SIPR E:mail Address Crew Position
0-2 1172 ATKS Other
This information is for contact only. SPEAR san itizes all r .ports of identifying information.
Absolutely no identifying information for aircrew or squadr::n will be recorded for analysis.
10/15/20 14:18:39 Day ISR
Date (mmlddlyy) Time of detection Day I Night Side No. Buno MissionDescription (CAS, BFM. etc) LFE?
(hh:mm:ss Z)
N E
Contact Wot1<ing Area Contact Latltute N/S Contact Longitude EIW Contact Altitude Altitude W'indDlrat Wind
(Ex: W-72 1A) (DD:MM:SS) (DD:MM:SS) (Ex: 22000) Constant? Contact Alt Speed
(From)
Please attempt to determine a Lat I Long for the contact at initial detection. We recommend
using JMPS to reference the sensor-derived beanng and range relative to the bullseye you had Was the contact moving? Yes
in use. If that method is not available, any reasonable derivation of location will worl<, but please
be as specfflc as possible and make a note in the comments section. These locations may be
Direction/Speed
used to cue other means of tracking. 261130
□□
(Ex. 090115)
Radar Equipped: AIM-9x Self-Track: Please check all that apply:
A TFLIR Autotrack: IZ] Moving Parts: D
□
Stable Trackfile?: Round:
# of Contacts in "Group':· 1 Tally Achieved:
Square: D Metallic: D
Balloon-shaped: D Marlcings: D
□ □ □ □
EA Indications (Check all that apply):
Wings/Ai1frame:-O Translucent:- D
£CM
Arc
Letter
Identifier
False
Trac:kfiles
OIJ1erl
Ambiguous
Other Shape:O
Apparent Propulsion: □ Opaque:O
Reflective: D
Please use the field below to describe the contact and any inte'laction in your own words with as much
detail as possible. Please be sure to include any detail not included in questions above.
Contact at 14:18:392 to 14:19:522 on 15OCT2020. MGRS locat\on 400 8D 6�1� (estimated
lat/long! 1.4a 1-
While at 19,073 HAT o'1,er the Gulf of Aden we tracked a round,
cold object in IR traveling 3,19 degrees at 20 mph. It made a fewiabrupt directional changes during the 1
minute contact. Our sensor was aimed -50 degrees below our altitude with a slant range of 4.06NM and
ground range of 4.78KM. The IR sensor was set to black hot an the object in question was a bright white.
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(b)(6)
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Don't use the purple "submit" button! Save this form with filename "Date_Squadron_RF.pdr' and email
it tq (b)(6) (Also in the global)) For troubleshooting, cal/I
I (bJ( 6J I
Thank you for your time. Please ensure all display tapes are rip4ed for the entire time of interaction and
saved as a .wm:v (Example: 4 May VFA·106 HUD.wmv). Squadron intel personnel shall upload those files
to the repository located at this link. 1
I I IIIHif !Nib iii Iiii Iii I
(b)(6)
USCENTCOM MOR 26-0038 to MOR 26-0046 Approved for Release to MR9
T 03/27/26 000001 View the official fileFrequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the Range Fouler Reporting Form?
The form is used by the U.S. Navy to record the circumstances surrounding unauthorized contacts that interfere with military operations. It standardizes how aircrew report these incidents for data collection and analysis purposes.
Range Fouler Reporting Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized
What details are required about the contact's location and movement?
The form asks for latitude and longitude coordinates at initial detection, altitude, whether the contact was moving, direction of travel, and speed. Aircrew are encouraged to use available navigation systems to determine location as precisely as possible.
How is aircrew privacy protected in this reporting process?
The form explicitly states that identifying information is removed during analysis. No names, ranks, or squadron information is recorded for the analysis phase, though contact information is collected separately for follow-up purposes.
What sensor data was collected in the October 2020 Gulf of Aden incident?
The contact was tracked using infrared (IR) sensors. The object appeared as bright white on an infrared display set to black hot mode, and was located at a slant range of 4.06 nautical miles and ground range of 4.78 kilometers from the sensor.
Congressional Context
No confirmed links between this file and the congressional record yet. Connections are added only when the source text supports them, never inferred.