Italy: F-104 pursued by bright UFO for 23 min

Incident Overview In February 1977, an Italian Air Force pilot flying an F-104 encountered a luminous unidentified object brighter than the moon. The UFO maintained a steady distance of approximately 2,400–2,700 feet behind the aircraft for a full 23 minutes, exhibiting controlled pacing behavior.

Pursuit and Maneuvers The base command authorized the pilot to pursue the object. As the F-104 ascended to 12,000 feet, the UFO mirrored the climb precisely before abruptly disappearing, suggesting advanced maneuverability beyond known aircraft capabilities at the time.

Witnesses and Evidence Primary witness was the unnamed F-104 pilot. No radar data or additional visual confirmations mentioned in the source. Event sourced from George Eberhart's "UFOs and Intelligence: A Timeline" (p. 833), highlighting military aviation encounters with UAP.

Significance This case exemplifies close military pacing incidents, raising questions about unidentified aerial technology's ability to match high-performance jets without noise or exhaust. Contributes to 1970s wave of European military UFO reports, underscoring potential intelligence implications.