Sighting in Le Porge, October 7, 2021

At around 6:00 pm, the only witness in this case was driving when they noticed, through the left side window and toward the northwest, several circular cloud formations. They pulled over onto the roadside to photograph them, then drove on, unable to observe them any longer because trees blocked the view.

Around 6:40 pm, on arriving in another town, the witness saw a similar phenomenon again, this time toward the west, made up of "three curved branches". They photographed it as well before ending the observation.

GEIPAN rated the consistency of the case as good: there was a single, late testimony, but the photographs could be analyzed. Examination showed an appearance consistent with condensation trails, and the circular shape matched manoeuvres such as loops, typical of military exercises. The exercise "Volfa 2021" was taking place nearby at the time. The military officials contacted confirmed that the observation area matched the exercise zone and that the sighting was probably linked to it. An independent web user had also photographed similar formations, identifying them as circles made by aircraft.

However, the aircraft responsible could not be precisely identified. Because the witness contacted GEIPAN several months after the event, no air traffic record could be obtained from the CNOA. The only aircraft picked up by radar in the area were flying too low to produce trails like those observed. The case was classified B: very probable observation of condensation trails from one or more aircraft.