Dachstein Mountains: Military Interception of Spherical Object

Initial Sighting At 3:50 p.m., a KLM airliner flying at 30,000 feet above the Dachstein Mountains in the Austrian Alps reported observing a gray spherical object overhead. The pilot immediately notified the Air Control Center in Vienna, which escalated the report to the Austrian Air Force.

Military Response Major Karl Schwarz ordered three Saab 105 aircraft to intercept the object. Two jets attempted pursuit while a third documented the encounter on film. The object demonstrated erratic flight patterns and superior speed capabilities, making sustained interception impossible.

Secondary Encounter At 5:50 p.m., a German Lufthansa airliner reported close contact with a similar object. Schwarz ordered two additional fighters to scramble. Pilots noted the object maintained altitude approximately 9,800 feet above their aircraft while executing maneuvers they could not replicate, suggesting deliberate evasion.