FAA: Replacement of UFO with UAP in Air Traffic Manual
The Federal Aviation Administration officially updated its core air traffic control manual to substitute the acronym UFO with UAP. Effective October 26, 2025, the revision aligns agency terminology with federal law establishing the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Controllers must now report observed anomalies through specified national security channels.
Background
On October 26, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented Notice N 7110.800, updating FAA Order JO 7110.65—the primary manual governing air traffic control operations. The revision eliminates the decades-old terminology "Unidentified Flying Object" in favor of "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" across key sections including abbreviations and general reporting protocols.
The modification requires controllers to inform supervisors of any observed UAP activity and establishes formal reporting channels through the National Tactical Security Operations Air Traffic Security Coordinator team on the Domestic Events Network. This procedural shift explicitly connects FAA operations to the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office framework created under 50 U.S.C. section 3373.
While primarily terminological, the update represents significant institutional recognition of anomalous phenomena as legitimate aviation safety concerns. The change was publicly highlighted by advocacy group Americans for Safe Aerospace, which has campaigned for standardized reporting mechanisms to destigmatize pilot observations and transform anecdotal accounts into actionable safety data.
Source attribution: Via TheBlackVault.com (FOIA)