DOW-UAP-PR116 — Stretched Video as Gaslighting Tactic (PURSUE Release 4, 2026)

On July 10, 2026, the Pentagon released video DOW-UAP-PR116 as part of PURSUE Release 4 — 32 seconds of infrared footage from USNORTHCOM (US Northern Command), recorded in 2020 over the Atlantic Ocean. The object was immediately labeled a 'mothership' (12–15 feet) in media and social networks, causing significant excitement.

Reddit user WideAwakeTravels shortly thereafter discovered a technical anomaly: the video is horizontally stretched by 50%. When the width is reduced by 50%, the object looks like a cluster of ordinary balloons. Even a dot at the top of the frame, which appears unusual in the original, looks normal after correction.

The central question: Did USNORTHCOM stretch the video before submitting it to AARO — or did AARO itself manipulate the video before release? The suspicion is that agencies deliberately release mundane objects in distorted form so they appear 'UAP-like' — and thus avoid releasing genuinely unexplained footage. This tactic is called 'gaslighting': the public is fed seemingly spectacular material that proves trivial upon closer analysis.

The case exemplifies a systematic disinformation strategy: instead of releasing genuine UAP evidence, falsified or misleading videos are published that generate short-term attention but long-term undermine the credibility of UAP research.