[AERO MIL] ORANGE (84) 15.06.1951

At 11:30 a.m. on June 15, 1951, two pilots took off from Orange-Caritat. One noticed a very bright silver object, apparently circular or spherical, and alerted the patrol leader, who also saw it. One pilot placed it south of the Pelvoux massif, apparently stationary at the level of the summits and his aircraft, about 10,000 feet. Both aircraft pursued it. It seemed to grow in apparent size, then moved on a slightly ascending course and appeared elongated. After about six minutes it diminished to a point at the horizon and disappeared. The contemporary inquiry by the base commander considered the observations credible. A distant stratospheric balloon could fit some descriptions, but GEIPAN noted that the reported rapid retreat when a pilot approached did not fit that hypothesis. The case is classified D in GEIPAN's system; this records an unexplained observation, not a verified extraordinary vehicle.