How AARO Explained the Aguadilla Video

Introduction

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) concluded that the 2013 Puerto Rico infrared video, recorded by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft near Aguadilla, did not show an object with extraordinary speed, manoeuvrability, or the ability to enter and leave the ocean. Instead, AARO’s reconstruction found that the footage was consistent with two ordinary objects travelling together in a straight path at wind speed. The apparent split into two objects, rapid movement, and water entry were assessed as effects of viewing geometry rather than unusual physical behaviour.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…

The significance of AARO’s work is not simply that it offered a conventional explanation. The office’s analysis addressed the central weakness of the original interpretation: the video shows only a two-dimensional infrared image, while the real-world position and motion of the objects depend on distance, camera angle, aircraft movement, and environmental conditions. AARO’s flight reconstruction attempted to rebuild the three-dimensional situation behind the image and explain why the footage appeared more extraordinary than the underlying event.[DVIDS]dvidshub.netVideo - 2013 Puerto Rico Object ReconstructionMarch 20, 2025…Published: March 20, 2025

Official review and case conclusion

AARO’s published resolution of the Puerto Rico Object case states that the footage appeared to show a fast-moving object that split into two parts and seemed to enter and exit the water. However, the office assessed with high confidence that the objects did not demonstrate anomalous speeds or flight behaviours. The official explanation relied on a reconstruction produced with an Intelligence Community partner, combining the aircraft’s flight path, the infrared sensor’s viewing angle, and an estimated path for the objects.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…

The reconstruction changed the interpretation of several key moments in the video:

• The “split” was not a single object dividing. AARO assessed that the footage showed two objects travelling close together, rather than one object separating into two.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…
• The apparent extreme speed was not the object’s true speed. The reconstruction indicated that the objects followed a straight trajectory at approximately the speed expected from wind-driven movement rather than displaying powered flight.[DVIDS]dvidshub.netVideo - 2013 Puerto Rico Object ReconstructionMarch 20, 2025…Published: March 20, 2025
• The objects did not enter the ocean. AARO concluded that the apparent descent into the water was caused by the viewing geometry rather than an object transitioning between air and water.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…

This conclusion placed the case in a broader category of UAP investigations where the recording itself is genuine, but the interpretation of motion is affected by incomplete spatial information. For AARO, the main question was not whether the sensor captured something real, but whether the observed movement represented the object’s actual behaviour.

Motion parallax and viewing geometry

Why the video appeared to show extreme movement

In the Aguadilla case, the infrared sensor was mounted on an aircraft that was itself moving. As the aircraft and sensor changed position and angle, the object’s apparent position against the coastline and ocean changed quickly. The result was a visual impression of a fast-moving object, even though the reconstructed path suggested a slower, wind-driven trajectory.[DVIDS]dvidshub.netVideo - 2013 Puerto Rico Object ReconstructionMarch 20, 2025…Published: March 20, 2025

The same issue affected the interpretation of the object’s apparent altitude and relationship with the water. From the original footage, viewers could interpret the object as descending into the sea. A three-dimensional reconstruction, however, placed the objects on a path that remained above the surface. The apparent “trans-medium” event was therefore considered a perspective effect rather than evidence of a craft moving between air and water.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…

The importance of reconstructing the sensor platform

The reconstruction approach differed from simply analysing the infrared image frame by frame. AARO’s model incorporated the aircraft’s movement and the sensor’s look angle — the direction in which the infrared system was pointed. This allowed analysts to estimate how the scene would appear from the aircraft’s changing viewpoint.[DVIDS]dvidshub.netVideo - 2013 Puerto Rico Object ReconstructionMarch 20, 2025…Published: March 20, 2025

This distinction matters because infrared footage can hide important context. Unlike a normal camera image, a thermal sensor records differences in heat rather than providing a detailed visual representation of shape, distance, or scale. A small distant object, a warm object viewed against a colder background, or multiple nearby objects can produce appearances that are difficult to interpret without additional information.

The sky lantern interpretation and remaining debate

Before AARO’s reconstruction was released, one of the most discussed conventional explanations was that the objects were sky lanterns. Independent analysts had proposed that lanterns could explain several unusual features, including the apparent splitting, gradual changes in brightness, and movement consistent with wind. Some researchers argued that perspective effects and cooling behaviour could create the impression that the objects descended into the ocean.[Reddit]reddit.comIf you've been as fascinated as I was by the leaked 2013 Aguavillo Airport video, you owe it to yourself to read this analysis by u…

AARO’s public explanation focused less on identifying a specific object type and more on demonstrating that the motion was not anomalous. Its official case resolution emphasised that the objects travelled in a straight line at wind speed and that the video did not show extraordinary manoeuvres.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery… This leaves a subtle distinction between two questions:

• Did the footage show unusual movement? AARO’s answer was no; the apparent movement resulted from perspective and geometry.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…
• Were the objects definitively identified as sky lanterns? The official reconstruction addressed behaviour rather than presenting a complete physical identification of every object feature.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…

This distinction explains why debate continued after AARO’s finding. Supporters of the anomalous interpretation argued that the case involved multiple data points, including witness reports and previous analyses, and that the footage deserved further scrutiny. Critics argued that the unusual appearance could be explained once the limitations of infrared imagery and viewing geometry were properly considered.[Reddit]reddit.com2013 Aguadilla Puerto Rico UAP | The Detailed analysis of an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon captured by the Department of Homela…

What AARO’s reconstruction changed about the case

The AARO analysis shifted the central issue in the Aguadilla debate. Earlier discussions often focused on whether the object’s apparent actions — rapid acceleration, splitting, and entering the ocean — were technologically possible. The reconstruction instead questioned whether those actions actually occurred.

The case therefore became an example of how UAP analysis can change when raw imagery is combined with geometry and flight modelling. A recording may accurately capture an event while still producing a misleading impression of distance, speed, and movement.

For the Puerto Rico infrared video, AARO’s final interpretation was that the mystery came primarily from how the event was viewed rather than from evidence of an unusual vehicle. The remaining debate is less about whether the video is authentic and more about how confidently analysts can determine the exact identity of the objects from the available data.[AARO]aaro.milUAP ImageryAARO UAP Imagery…

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Endnotes

1. Source: aaro.mil
Title: UAP Imagery
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/UAP-Cases/Official-UAP-Imagery/4/

2. Source: aaro.mil
Title: UAP Case Resolution DT
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/Next-AARO-Home-redesign/Next-Parent/AARO-UAP-Case-Resolution-DT/

3. Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/oos63c

4. Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/ovd1lx

5. Source: reddit.com
Title: My analysis of the Aguadilla UAP
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOscience/comments/mlkaag

6. Source: aaro.mil
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/Next-AARO-Home-redesign/Next-Parent/Next-AARO-UAP-Imagery-Acc-Table/

7. Source: aaro.mil
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/Next-AARO-Home-redesign/Next-Parent/Next-UAP-Report-Documents/poster/dividLink/

Published: May 8, 2026

8. Source: aaro.mil
Title: UAP Imagery* Al Taqaddum Object UAP Video
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/Next-AARO-Home-redesign/Inactive-Parent/Next-UAP-Imagery-dup/

9. Source: aaro.mil
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/

10. Source: aaro.mil
Link:https://www.aaro.mil/Next-AARO-Home-redesign/Next-Parent/Next-UAP-Case-RR-Data-Table/

11. Source: dvidshub.net
Link:https://www.dvidshub.net/video/955936/2013-puerto-rico-object-reconstruction

Published: March 20, 2025

12. Source: dvidshub.net
Title: DVID S
Link:https://www.dvidshub.net/video/944204/puerto-rico-objects?ftag=YHF4eb9d17

13. Source: uapufo.org
Link:https://uapufo.org/topics/aaro

Additional References

14. Source: europeafrica.army.mil
Title: air defenders in Europe highlight the Eastern Flank
Link:https://www.europeafrica.army.mil/Innovation/dvpTag/2013/dvpmoduleid/104815/

15. Source: nationalguard.mil
Title: Inauguration Support
Link:https://www.nationalguard.mil/Features/2021/Inauguration-Support/?dvpTag=2013&dvpmoduleid=109808&videoid=955936

Published: May 23, 2021

16. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Aguadilla Infrared Video: What the Camera Actually Saw
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfZOuAdvPFg

17. Source: youtube.com
Title: Aguadilla UAP Video Analysis: Is It “Smoking Gun” Footage? | Rich Hoffman
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmvHKAbRuFI

18. Source: youtube.com
Title: UFO FILES: FOIA VIDEO RELEASE of the ‘Aguadilla UAP’ in Puerto Rico
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuSZDrBDgb8

19. Source: youtube.com
Title: Limina Inaugural Symposium Day 3
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BahEq46t3Uo

20. Source: ufouap.net
Link:https://www.ufouap.net/en/cases/aguadilla-ufo-incident

21. Source: uapufo.org
Link:https://uapufo.org/topics/official-uap-imagery

22. Source: ufotransparency.com
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution-2025-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution

23. Source: ufotransparency.com
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-aaro-website-launch-case-resolutions-2023-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution