What UFOs turn out to be
Drones mistaken for UFOs
A hobby drone can hover, climb vertically and dart off in any direction: exactly the movements described in many reports. Its coloured navigation lights and faint noise, inaudible beyond a few dozen metres, add to the effect.
Since the mid-2010s, drone light shows, which draw shapes with hundreds of lit aircraft, have added reports of perfectly geometric "formations".
SkyUnknown lists 19 UFO sightings explained as a drone, from 2010 to 2025, drawn from official records: GEIPAN (CNES). The busiest year was 2015, with 3 cases.
- cases
- 19
- unidentified
- 0
- period
- 2010–2025
- source
- 1
Notable cases
The most complete records: account of the sighting, conclusion of the official investigation.
- Probably explainedJune 18, 2025
Fréjus
Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- Probably explainedJanuary 3, 2025
Bazas
Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- Probably explainedNovember 11, 2024
Épernay
Marne, Grand Est, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- Probably explainedAugust 15, 2024
Mulhouse
Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- Probably explainedJuly 21, 2024
Saint-Martin-en-Bière
Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedDecember 11, 2023
Boulogne-Billancourt
Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- Probably explainedOctober 22, 2023
Bayeux
Calvados, Normandie, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedSeptember 2, 2022
Frontignan
Hérault, Occitanie, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedAugust 16, 2022
Villeurbanne
Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
→ Drones
GEIPAN (CNES)
Other explanations
- Sky lanterns418
- Aircraft288
- Balloons197
- Meteors and fireballs130
- Ground lights and lasers130
- Planets109
- Satellites98
- Re-entries87
- Space station (ISS)86
- Stars85
- Birds, insects, nature52
- Reflections and photo artefacts44
- Moon41
- Weather and storms31
- Optical phenomena23
- Fireworks and flares12
- Hoaxes9
- Other explanations9
All sightings
| Date | Place | Status | Identified cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 18, 2025 | Fréjus · Var | Probably explained | Drones |
| January 3, 2025 | Bazas · Gironde | Probably explained | Drones |
| November 11, 2024 | Épernay · Marne | Probably explained | Drones |
| August 15, 2024 | Mulhouse · Haut-Rhin | Probably explained | Drones |
| July 21, 2024 | Saint-Martin-en-Bière · Seine-et-Marne | Probably explained | Drones |
| December 11, 2023 | Boulogne-Billancourt · Hauts-de-Seine | Explained | Drones |
| October 22, 2023 | Bayeux · Calvados | Probably explained | Drones |
| September 2, 2022 | Frontignan · Hérault | Explained | Drones |
| August 16, 2022 | Villeurbanne · Rhône | Explained | Drones |
| September 22, 2021 | Anthon · Isère | Probably explained | Drones |
| November 15, 2019 | Cestas · Gironde | Explained | Drones |
| August 29, 2019 | Plaisance-du-Touch · Haute-Garonne | Probably explained | Drones |
| August 28, 2018 | Fontcouverte · Charente-Maritime | Probably explained | Drones |
| January 28, 2018 | Fontenay-le-Fleury · Yvelines | Probably explained | Drones |
| January 4, 2017 | Saint-Christol · Hérault | Probably explained | Drones |
| December 18, 2015 | Mulhouse · Haut-Rhin | Probably explained | Drones |
| June 6, 2015 | Pleumeur-Bodou · Côtes-d'Armor | Probably explained | Drones |
| January 31, 2015 | Loudéac · Côtes-d'Armor | Probably explained | Drones |
| November 2010 | Château-Thébaud · Loire-Atlantique | Probably explained | Drones |
The figures on this page are computed from the official records cited on each case. See sources and method