René Giraud

René Giraud was a French Air Force officer who became notable in UFO research following a significant aerial encounter. On March 7, 1977, while piloting a Mirage IV supersonic bomber at 9,750 meters near Chaumont, France, Major Giraud and navigator Captain Jean Paul Abraham observed an unidentified flying object that performed evasive maneuvers matching their own flight patterns. Ground control detected nothing on radar. Giraud later achieved the rank of Colonel and became one of the few military pilots to publicly discuss his UFO experience, appearing on French national television and being interviewed for the French magazine VSD. Radio communications from the incident were recorded and transcribed, making it one of the more documented military UFO encounters. His testimony contributed to French UFO research and influenced official investigations including GEPAN.