Is a viral video that shows "never-before-seen" footage of an unidentified object moving in the sky near a helicopter flying, included in the UFO Files that were released by the Trump administration and the Department of War? No, that's not true: The black and white video does not appear in the publicly available UFO files released by the Trump administration and the Department of War at the time of publication. A search of "helicopter" in the files returned no results matching the video.
The claim appeared in a video posted on May 8, 2026, on Instagram account @mr.pluggertv (archived here). It opened:
🇺🇸 The Trump administration and Department of War have released "never-before-seen" UFO footage and potential alien life files, reigniting speculation online. 🛸
If alien life is real, do you think the public is finally ready for the truth?
This is what a still from the video posted on Instagram looked like:
(Image source: Post by @mr.pluggertv on Instagram.)
The Department of War published government files (archived here) "related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)," on May 8, 2026. Lead Stories reviewed all 27 declassified UFO Files videos, none of which match the footage posted on Instagram. Space.com posted an 8:26 video of a compliation of the all video footage from the UFO Files on the website on May 8, 2026 (archived here). The Space.com video did not include the footage posted on Instagram.
Lead Stories searched the files with keyword "helicopter," and the results included two files. Neither was the video published on the Instagram account. Here is a screenshot of the search:
(Image source: war.gov/UFO/.)
The first file is titled "FBI PHOTO B7" (archived here). It is a black and white photo with a helicopter in the upper right of the photo. It does not include a video. This is the description of the image:
Narrative Description: The monochrome image displays a grainy texture with a central crosshair reticle. A dark object, consistent in appearance with a helicopter, is visible in the upper right quadrant. A second, smaller, dark circular object is visible below the reticle. The background is indistinct. This narrative description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event's validity, nature, or significance.
Here is a screenshot of the file:
(Image source: Department of War.)
The second file is titled "USPER Statement about UAP Sighting" (archived here) and is a document, not a video, as this description states:
This is an FBI 302 interview conducted with a senior US intelligence official regarding his first-hand account of a UAP encounter at a US military facility. USPER relayed to FBI agents that he and other federal and state personnel conducted searches to where orbs had been previously seen. After searching the area with a helicopter, they found a "super-hot" orb hovering over the ground. The orb is reported to have travelled for 20 miles at a speed too fast for the helicopter in pursuit. An additional "swarm" of lights were seen moving in all directions. A total of four or five additional orbs were seen shortly thereafter for a short time, flaring up and then down. This pattern of four or five orbs flaring up, then down continued over the next thirty minutes across the area.
Here is a screenshot of the file:
(Image source: Department of War.)
