Incident · 15 June 1951 · Orange-Caritat Air Base, Vaucluse, France
Orange-Caritat Vampire pilots' sighting (France, 1951)
Also known as Orange 1951, Orange-Caritat
On the morning of 15 June 1951, two pilots of the French Air Force's 5e Escadre de Chasse took off in Vampire jets from Orange-Caritat Air Base in Provence. One saw a very bright, silvery circular or spherical object in the sky towards the Alps and alerted his patrol leader, who saw it too. It seemed stationary at their own altitude, about 10,000 feet. When they turned towards it, it grew larger, then took on an oblong shape and moved off eastwards on a climbing path, outpacing them, until it disappeared on the horizon after about six minutes.
The base commander questioned both pilots within two hours and forwarded their matching statements to the Air Ministry. GEIPAN, which published the file, notes that a distant stratospheric balloon fits some of the description but not the object's apparent flight from the pursuing jets, and classifies the case as unexplained (D). The pilots' names are blanked in the released file.
Sources: GEIPAN (CNES), case 1951-06-00002 and Air Ministry file
Facts and claims
- documented Two French Air Force fighter pilots of the 5e Escadre de Chasse, flying Vampires from Orange-Caritat, saw a brilliant spherical object, apparently stationary at about 10,000 ft. As they flew towards it, it abruptly became oblong and moved away eastwards, climbing faster than their aircraft, and vanished during an approximately six-minute pursuit. Their base commander judged them experienced, level-headed observers whose accounts matched. Source: French Air Ministry file on the Orange-Caritat sighting, 15 June 1951 (GEIPAN case 1951-06-00002)
- documented GEIPAN classifies the case D, unexplained. It notes that some features suggest a stratospheric balloon seen from afar, but that the pilots' report of the object moving rapidly away as they approached does not fit that hypothesis. Source: cnes-geipan.fr (archived)
Connected files
Documents
- French Air Ministry file on the Orange-Caritat sighting, 15 June 1951 (GEIPAN case 1951-06-00002) (documented in)
Organizations
- GEIPAN (CNES, France) (investigated by)
Mentioned in this file
- Ministry of Defence (UK) (Organization)