France: red lights in the sky that remain unexplained after an official investigation (GEIPAN)

What is reported

GEIPAN, the CNES service in charge of unidentified aerospace phenomena, classes as “D” the cases that remain “unidentified after investigation”. Two of the most recent “D” cases describe red lights. At Crozon, on 13 January 2020 in the early morning, in strong wind and rain, a driver sees three bright red rectangles, in a line, move and then stop above a crossroads; drones, helicopters and a lighthouse were examined and ruled out, and the nearby naval air base had no exercise that evening; the case is classed D1. At Hem, on 16 December 2022 around 9 p.m., a walker sees three reddish rings arranged in a triangle move slowly for about ten seconds, without noise, then go out; a single witness, questioned a year later, no photo or video; lanterns ruled out (contrary wind), no radar trace of any aircraft, a lit drone remains “partially compatible”; GEIPAN’s conclusion: “no hypothesis allows the observed phenomenon to be identified conclusively” (D1). Both files were updated on 16 June 2026. In 2025, two other red-light cases are classed “C” (unidentified for lack of data): Valras-Plage, 20 February (two reddish lights at the front of a pinkish shape, 2 to 3 seconds; an atmospheric re-entry is judged most likely) and Ellecourt, 2 November (about ten flashing red dots that turned white; a group of drones is the favored hypothesis). None of these files mentions an earthquake. For GEIPAN, “unidentified” means that no cause could be established with the available data.