Sighting in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, July 1, 2015

From 22:30 onward, several people noticed moving points of light in the night sky. Some witnesses described geometric shapes, or a kind of craft made up of these points. The local press also reported the sightings. Lights arranged in regular patterns suggest an air display team rehearsing or performing.

GEIPAN contacted the Patrouille de France, which is based at Salon-de-Provence. The team confirmed that, exceptionally, it had flown at night in the region on 1 and 3 July: the first flight was a rehearsal for the display given on the 3rd for the naming ceremony of the graduating classes. The silence reported by witnesses is perfectly normal, since an aircraft seen head-on from more than a few kilometres away makes very little noise. The 8 Alphajets carry powerful headlights visible from over 10 km along the flight axis. When an aircraft turns, its beam changes direction, so an observer located in the original flight axis sees it vanish abruptly: seen from the side, the aircraft are visible only through their red or green navigation lights, which are too weak to be seen from far away. Seen head-on, the approach cannot be perceived, the aircraft seem motionless, and only lateral movement is noticeable, which may be slight.

GEIPAN received reports about the same formation from two localities on 1 July and from a third on 3 July. Every year since 2008 it has received similar reports from Provence in early July. The case was classified A: the sightings were definitely the 8 Alphajets of the Patrouille de France.