Brazil’s "Official UFO Night"

Controllers at São José dos Campos and radar across south-east Brazil tracked about 21 unknown contacts. Embraer’s founder, flying in, saw red lights; the Air Force scrambled F-5Es from Santa Cruz and Mirage IIIs from Anápolis. Pilots reported lights that kept their distance and targets that appeared behind them.

Explanation

The Air Force commander said "we have no explanation". The report declassified in 2009 described objects with speeds from hovering to supersonic and 90° turns.

What was seen

Shape: Red, white and green lights; 21 radar plots
Witnesses: Controllers, F-5E and Mirage pilots, Embraer founder Ozires Silva
Duration: ~5 hours

Browse

• Brazil
• 1980s
• Unresolved
• Radar-visual cases
• Official government documents
• Military witnesses
• Pilot and aircrew witnesses
• Radar tracking
• Lights and fireballs

Similar cases

• Pereslavl-Zalessky — the Soviet air defence report 21 March 1990
• Belgian UFO wave — F-16 intercepts 30 March 1990
• RB-47 radar–ECM–visual encounter 17 July 1957
• Lakenheath–Bentwaters radar-visual case 13 August 1956