On October 30, 2024, two MQ-9 Reaper drones operating over Yemen detected and recorded a spherical object in airspace. One drone tracked the object while the second fired an AGM-114 Hellfire missile at the target. The missile struck the object directly, but instead of detonating on impact, it deflected without apparent detonation and continued on its trajectory unaffected by the strike. The object itself proceeded unimpeded.
The incident remained classified until military witnesses brought detailed accounts to the House Oversight Committee hearing on September 9, 2025. Three witnesses with direct knowledge testified about the encounter: operators present during the engagement provided technical details about the missile strike and the object’s response.
Congressional Testimony and Military Assessment
During the House hearing, the three military witnesses—identified in testimony as Nuccetelli, Wiggins, and Dylan Borland—presented video evidence from the drone systems. The witnesses confirmed that the AGM-114 Hellfire missile made direct contact with the spherical object. All three witnesses independently testified that they are unaware of any known U.S. technology capable of producing the observed deflection effect without detonation.
The implications of their testimony proved significant. The witnesses’ professional assessment that no known American technology could account for the observed phenomenon brought the incident to congressional oversight.
Congressional Follow-up
The September 2025 hearing served as a major catalyst for subsequent Congressional action. In March 2026, Rep. Luna issued an official letter demanding the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies provide 46 specific videos of unidentified aerial phenomena encounters, citing the Yemen orb incident as one of the most dramatic and well-documented cases in the Congressional record. The incident’s prominence in Luna’s subsequent demand for transparency underscores its significance in the broader UAP disclosure process.
The Yemen orb incident represents one of the most concrete military encounters with an unidentified object on record, backed by drone footage, eyewitness testimony from trained operators, and official Congressional examination.