The Pentagon has finally released the 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - the information released by the National Intelligence Agency on Thursday was declassified, but it was published with a delay of several months, much later than planned.

The report, which was prepared under the requirements of the National Defense Act, was prepared with the participation of a number of US intelligence agencies, including the relatively recently created Agency for Comprehensive Anomaly Research (AARO). The data comes from a variety of sources ranging from intelligence agencies, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Energy, NASA, and other agencies, both civilian and military.

In total, the report covers 510 cataloged sightings of "unidentified aerial phenomena" - as unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are now called in the United States. The document notes that most of the observations were made by the US Navy and Air Force, which transmitted data through official channels. It is reported that such phenomena "continue to pose a risk to flight safety and in the context of possible data collection by adversaries." At the same time, in many reports "there is not enough detailed information to identify air phenomena with a high degree of reliability."

Of the 510 reported cases, according to National Intelligence, 366 were registered after the formation of the AARO in August 2022. Of these, 26 were identified as drones, 163 turned out to be balloons or similar structures, and 6 were all sorts of hindrances like birds or blown packages.

However, 171 objects remained "uncharacterized and unclassified", with some cases showing unusual flight and other characteristics and requiring further analysis.

Although the report does not make sensational statements about the origin of the objects, the document shows an increase in attention to the topic of aviation safety, partly due to the massive proliferation of drones, some of which may be aircraft of states unfriendly to the United States. According to intelligence, unidentified phenomena continue to be recorded in areas where flights are limited. True, the same report clarifies that in such areas there may simply be significantly more sensors, cameras and other means of surveillance compared to ordinary airspace, so incidents are noted there more often.

It is also noted that observations can be affected by weather conditions, lighting and atmospheric effects. Reports are expected to be based on accurate eyewitness recollections of events and/or sensor readings, which generally work correctly and collect accurate data for initial assessments. However, it is accepted that some of the cases reported in the report may be the result of operator error or equipment failure.

Experts believe that unidentified aerial phenomena, of course, should be given more attention, so it is necessary to avoid the "stigmatization" of the study of such phenomena and invest in research in the interests of national security. However, the report emphasizes that so far there have been no cases of collisions of unidentified objects with American aircraft, as well as cases of UFO impact on the health of observers.

The very fact of compiling and publishing such a report indicates that the United States takes phenomena of this kind very seriously.