Red lights in Var, France

On August 25, 2017 at 2:15 a.m. (time confirmed by T2), two witnesses observe in the night sky the presence of colored lights (one red and one green) that intrigue them. First perceived as stationary, these two lights move together while changing trajectory and are quickly hidden by the landscape. No noise is heard. The witnesses most likely observed an aircraft, the red and green lights being those of the navigation lights, indeed: - the two lights are always seen side by side or adjacent, - during the final movement to the right, there is only the green light left, as should be the case for an aircraft whose right and green position light is the only one visible when the plane flies transversally at low elevation (the case here, the plane then disappears behind trees) to the right, the left and red light then being hidden by the fuselage. The arguments that lead T1 to rule out an aircraft are the absence of noise and flashing ("A helicopter or a plane are also to be ruled out, given the silence and the absence of flashing of the lights"). However, the perception of noise depends on multiple factors including distance (the witnesses perhaps think the UAP is closer than it is), wind that can be against the noise (this is the case here with an easterly wind noted on Météociel) while the witnesses look toward the west, and also the strong visual attention generated by the strangeness that can come at the expense of auditory attention or memory (many examples exist at GEIPAN). Moreover, the green and red navigation lights do not flash; the flashing of an airplane comes from the white anti-collision lights ("strobes"). If the former are mandatory in all phases of flight, this is not the case for the latter. One can also have doubt about the perception of non-flashing, at least for part of the observation, because T2 says "Then I had also seen a green light flashing." The strength of the elements in favor (green and red navigation lights) and the questionable and non-decisive nature of the objection elements (absence of noise and flashing) lead to retaining the aircraft hypothesis. The stationary and oscillating aspect of the UAP argues in favor of a helicopter, which would have mostly presented its left side (red navigation light) before partially pivoting first (two red and green lights) before leaving to the right presenting only its right side (green light). This aircraft does not appear in commercial traffic records, but these are not of absolute reliability and a helicopter is most often non-commercial. It would therefore rather be a private flight or civil security or medical transport or even of military origin. The request for radar tracking from air traffic services (CNOA) was made too late, and GEIPAN also knows from experience that low-altitude flights (the case here) may not produce radar tracks. Consequently, GEIPAN classifies the case as B and concludes: very probable observation of an aircraft.