France 2000, two unidentified payload-carrying balloons near an aircraft

Summary

On 7 January 2000, a pilot en route to Casablanca spotted two balloons — one blue, one white — passing close to the aircraft. Both carried a payload resembling a radar reflector. Météo-France ruled out meteorological radiosondes, and an inquiry with the armed forces yielded no results. The objects were confirmed as balloons, but their origin remained unknown. GEIPAN classified the case as category B.