Opening summary
On February 21, 2023, a mission report from USCENTCOM details an operation involving two F-15E aircraft that took off from Muwaffaq Salti Air Base as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. The mission was intended to conduct defensive counter air operations in the vicinity of Shaddadi, although it was not executed as originally planned due to amendments made prior to takeoff. During the flight, the aircraft encountered three unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) at an altitude of 24,000 feet, as well as a balloon reported at 21,000 feet.
The presence of these UAPs was noted while the aircraft were operating in a region that experienced radar jamming, which was attributed to a potential Turkish X-band jammer affecting the area near the Syria-Turkey border. The mission's timeline indicates that the aircraft were airborne for nearly five hours, with a significant portion of that time spent on station conducting their assigned operations. The report…