The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Midi Libre, France, on August 19, 2007.
On January 5, 1984, in Gallargues-le-Montueux, in the Gard region, around 2:30 a.m., two witnesses saw a black mass measuring 50 meters in diameter above their vehicle. It appeared to be floating 400 meters above the ground and moved in successive leaps.
This dark mass followed the vehicle for about ten kilometers. No noise, no smell was noticed, and the mass suddenly disappeared at an extremely high speed, emitting a bluish light from its base. This unexplained phenomenon is one of the 1,650 cases recorded on the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) website. We meet with Yves Sillard, former director-general of CNES, who has just published a book on UFOs.
What exactly does CNES mean by UFO?
The term Unidentified Flying Object has been abandoned and replaced with UAP - Unidentified Aerospace Phenomenon. A UAP is an unusual phenomenon observed in the sky by one or more witnesses, whose authenticity has been carefully verified. We abandoned the term UFO because, in the public mind, it is directly associated with an extraterrestrial explanation. However, while this type of explanation should be considered seriously and objectively, it remains only a hypothesis at this stage.
How many unidentified aerospace phenomena has CNES recorded in France so far?
The Geipan (Group for the Study and Information on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena) database contains 6,000 testimonies collected over the past fifty years, corresponding to 1,650 different cases. But these cases likely represent only a fraction of the UAPs observed, as many witnesses hesitate to report unusual observations for fear of ridicule.
And among these 1,650 cases, how many remain completely mysterious?
690 cases have been explained or nearly explained after Geipan’s analysis, attributed to known phenomena: satellite or rocket stage re-entries into the atmosphere, rare meteorological events, unusual planetary alignments, etc.
That leaves 460 - which we call UAP D - that are undeniably authentic and real but remain strictly unexplainable. That amounts to roughly ten confirmed cases per year.
This is only an average, as certain years, such as 1954, 1981, or 1991, saw spikes in observations—though we don’t understand why.
Do these cases show similarities in their occurrence, such as geographical region or time of year?
No, the observations vary greatly. They range from close landings to distant movements of luminous or metallic objects, either stationary or displaying exceptional speeds and accelerations. Moreover, they are distributed fairly evenly across the country and throughout the year.
When a strange aerospace phenomenon is reported, what procedures are followed?
For observations from the ground, the usual procedure is to inform the local police brigade, which conducts an on-site investigation before forwarding the case to Geipan. Geipan then carries out a full study of the case, analyzing the physical environment of the observation, the psychosocial background of the witness, and, when possible, field expertise including sample collection for analysis. For observations made from an aircraft - which is quite frequent - collaboration is done with the Air Force.
Can you say whether France has ever witnessed extraterrestrial aerospace phenomena?
There is nothing that allows us to assert with certainty that all or part of the observed phenomena classified as category D are of extraterrestrial origin. As things stand, we can only refer to it as a hypothesis. However, this hypothesis currently appears to be the only one capable of corroborating otherwise irrefutable testimonies. That is why it must be considered seriously and rigorously, at least until another explanation is formulated.
Interview conducted by Laure JOANIN
