EERIE new declassified UFO footage showed a mystery “metal orb” soaring above the ground, which left US officials puzzled.

The odd sighting comes as Pentagon chiefs briefed the government on a major probe involving more than 650 unidentified aircraft incidents.

Drone footage of a mystery “metal orb” that was captured by the US militaryCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk

A close up for the intel showed the odd spherical object appearing to fly in the air

The footage was presented at a Pentagon briefing at Capitol Hill

The testimony was heard at Capitol Hill, Washington DC, as the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office revealed the shocking clips.

The videos released in the declassified cases are said to observed by US military drones.

The footage showed a mystery “metal orb” as it hovered and flew across open airspace.

The incidents were believed to be recorded in the Middle East and South Asia.

Sean Kirkpatrick, a physicist and intelligence officer, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee with the information.

He was also there to dampen down any swirling conjecture surrounding the perceived alien activity.

It is the second Capitol Hill appearance for Pentagon officials in the past year as lawmakers’ interest has grown after the increase in sightings.

An annual report issued by Office of the Director of National Intelligence in August, 2022, claimed there were 510 incidents last year.

And by January this year, that figure rapidly jumped to 650 cases.

Kirkpatrick claimed about half of the reports of “unidentified aerial phenomena” have been prioritised as they try to resolve the cases.

However, he also cautioned that many cases could remain unresolved due to a lack of hard data.

Kirkpatrick said: “I will not close a case that I cannot defend the conclusions of.”

About 30 cases are halfway through his office’s analytical process, it was reported.

And “a handful” of other cases have been peer-reviewed and closed.

According to Politico, the hearing comes amid fears the vehicles may be operated by America’s adversaries.

When pressed on the topic at the hearing, Kirkpatrick said: “Are there capabilities that could be employed against us in both an [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and a weapons fashion… Absolutely.

“Do I have evidence that they’re doing it in these cases – No, but I have concerning indicators.”

Concerns over incursions in US airspace by unknown objects have gripped Washington for years.

However, with more recent sparked interest, Kirkpatrick’s office was charged with spearheading the analysis of sightings.

Nevertheless, the excited UFO expert said alien suggestions should be scrutinised to the finest degree.

Kirkpatrick said: “I should also state clearly for the record that in our research, AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known laws of physics.

“Only a very small percentage of UAP reports display signatures that could reasonably be described as anomalous.

“The majority of unidentified objects reported to AARO demonstrated mundane characteristics of balloons, clutter, natural phenomena or other readily explainable sources.”

The intelligence officer stirred controversy in the US when he published a paper he co-authored with Harvard professor Avi Loeb last month.

The report theorised that some objects that appear to defy physics could be “probes” from an extraterrestrial mothership.

source: thesun.co.uk