LOCTUDY (29) 13.05.2025

On 13 May 2025 around 23:00, T1 watched from his garden in Loctudy (29) as a steady orange light passed overhead, followed by 2 flashing orange lights. Together they outlined a large, very dark triangle apparently moving slowly from north to south at low altitude. A fairly loud rumble, like a distant thunderstorm, remained audible after the lights passed. T1 estimated the combined visual and auditory observation at 9–10 minutes. A female neighbour and a female partner also saw the UAP and heard the rumble but did not report to GEIPAN; the source’s possessive wording does not clearly specify whose partner. T1 checked aircraft-tracking websites but found no flight over his location at the time. The evidential strength is moderate: only 1 questionnaire and no photograph or video. GEIPAN identifies aircraft participating in military exercise Poker (see the investigation report). A radar reconstruction from CAPCODA confirms several aircraft passing over the witnesses shortly before 23:00. Five were present in the same time window, including 3 with similar speeds and altitudes. Small differences in their positions and heights could form an apparent triangle from the ground, creating the impression of a single larger, closer, dark triangular object. The steady and flashing lights probably correspond to navigation and anti-collision lights. Their perceived orange may have been white-orange. The rumble fits several aircraft together and may sound unusual from the ground. Speeds of about 700–750 km/h, moderate for fighters, at 6–7 km altitude could appear slow. GEIPAN attributes the dark triangle very probably to a perceptual shape illusion when several similar point lights are seen at night. Military aircraft usually do not appear on public tracking sites, explaining T1’s unsuccessful search. GEIPAN classifies the case A: military aircraft observation. Its evidential-strength criterion is the quantity of reliable, objectively supported information collected for an account. CAPCODA is the French Air and Space Force’s air operations planning, command and air-defence centre.