Sighting in Ploumilliau, September 14, 2015

The witness submitted two very similar reports, covering observations on 14 and 23 September 2015, made from the same spot at around 10:30 p.m. On both evenings they heard and saw aircraft, with their noise and contrails, in what clearly looked like military air operations. The witness recalled that earlier in September, Rafale jets had flown at low altitude near the coast for hours, and considered it almost certain that the aircraft on the 14th were military.

On the 14th, two very loud, distinct noises, like a missile or a huge firework banger without a detonation, drew the witness to the window. They then saw a spherical ball, different from the aircraft, which at one point released a curtain of light toward the ground. On the 23rd, the witness saw four or five luminous balls, far brighter than the few faint stars visible. They moved very fast in several directions, appearing and disappearing in turn, like a ballet. Two aircraft, recognisable by their white contrails, were near them. The phenomenon lasted about one to two minutes: the balls vanished quickly, while the aircraft stayed visible and audible.

According to the witness, the phenomena lay to the southwest or southeast depending on the day. This area, which the witness also marked on a map, matches a low-altitude military flight zone on the 2015 RTBA chart. GEIPAN concluded that the witness had twice watched air exercises. Such exercises can include launches of luminous infrared decoy flares, which may produce strange glows for someone who does not connect them with that context. No other witness contacted GEIPAN, even though the noise at least could have drawn attention. Both cases were classified B: aircraft.