Portugal: Jets observe expanding UFO and small lights
Four Portuguese jet fighters under Capt. José Lemos Ferreira encountered a bright UFO that changed size and color during a night flight near Granada. A yellow light circle emerged, producing three smaller objects that maneuvered before vanishing.
Background
Witnesses and Context
Four Portuguese air force jet fighter-bombers took off from Ota air base on the night of September 4, 1957. Led by Capt. José Lemos Ferreira, they flew at 24,600 feet between Ota, Portugal and Granada, Spain. The pilots were Sgt. Alberto Gomes Covas, Sgt. Manuel Neves Marcelino, and Sgt. Salvador Alberto Oliveira.
Sighting and Behaviour
On turning toward Portalegre, Portugal, Ferreira spotted a luminous object like a star with a coloured core that shifted from deep green to blue. It swelled to five or six times its size, shrank to a yellow point, and repeated this several times, possibly through changes of position. The object remained constantly 90° to the left of the formation. Suddenly a small yellow circle of light detached, from which three smaller yellow objects emerged, manoeuvred, and disappeared. The encounter lasted 40 minutes.
Significance
The pilots ruled out natural explanations such as planets, balloons, or aircraft. The event is regarded as a credible military UAP contact with visual and dynamic characteristics, documented in sources such as NICAP and Flying Saucer Review.