V shaped flying object
Sighting report – 14th August 2026 at 03.20am
The witness was out in their garden with their dogs at around 3am. The sky was completely clear except for a few high, almost transparent clouds and as they looked to the North they spotted a small fluffy cloud that stood out against the clear dark sky. They note that the cloud looked ‘active’, appearing bright and glowing then dimming in different sections of the cloud. The witness continued watching the cloud for around 10 minutes and then saw a red glow coming from the centre that seemed to be attached to something. The light did not flash and was coming towards the witness when two more red lights appeared off-centre and further back from the first one. It continued to travel in a straight line Southwards towards the witness. As it came closer the witness observed that the 3 red lights were part of a single craft and as it came overhead the witness was expecting to hear a noise that would confirm whether this was a plane or large drone but there was no sound. The witness describes the object as gliding steadily right over their head. Tilting their head back to view it, they could see the dark grey/midnight blue shape against the sky, with narrow wings that were rounded at the ends and merged at the front with a large disc shaped deep red light underneath. The lights remained steady with no blinking or flashing. The other two deep red lights were located at the end of each wing.
The witness noted that it filled at least two feet of the sky and estimated it at around 3,000-4,000 feet above them.
The period of travel lasted for approximately 45 seconds. The object and lights then flew into a thin cloud layer to the South and did not come out of the other side. The witness waited for almost an hour to see if the object would re-appear but it did not.
The witness did not have their phone with them at the time but drew a sketch of the object and also created an electronic rendering of what they saw which they feel captures the colours well.
In further correspondence, the witness notes that they live close to an electric power station and sometimes hear a humming noise from it which can sometimes be louder than other times. They had noticed that the humming was loud on that evening but that the object seemed to block the sound for around 10-15 seconds while it passed by. They do comment that it is possible that they were simply so distracted by the object that their conscious mind disregarded the sound rather than it being physically blocked and so cannot guarantee that this was the case.
The witness also clarified that the cloud that first drew their attention had a white glow, similar to noctilucent clouds, but with a golden glow that seemed to move around inside the cloud. The colour of the lights only changed to red as the object came out of the cloud.
Location
The sighting took place in Sale, Cheshire, located between Manchester Airport and the National Police Air Service base at Eccles, and so is located in an area of higher volume air traffic. It is a residential area, close to Manchester, but with a range of green spaces and farmland within a short distance.
Size
The witness states that when the object was above their head it spanned two feet and was approximately 3,000-4,000 feet high. Judging the height of an object in the air can be very difficult but this would make the object very sizable even if the estimated height was incorrect and it was lower than it appeared.
Weather
The weather at that time was recorded as clear and dry with a light breeze from the North-West.
There are some occasions when natural phenomena under the right conditions can appear as a solid object, but the witness is very clear in their description and I believe this explanation can be discounted.
Celestial objects
The object described by the witness would not match any celestial objects due to its size. Sometimes we perceive a connecting shape when we see individual lights in close proximity (Gestalt effect) and this is a possibility, but the lights are described as being ‘large deep red’ which does not correspond to any celestial objects.
Birds
While a large bird or flock of birds flying at night can lead to unusual shapes in the sky, the size of the object seen and the accompanying lights discount this possibility.
Lanterns
Chinese lanterns are often mistaken for unusual objects due to their colours and the way that they travel. While three lanterns in a triangle could lead a witness to mistake them for lights, it does not appear to be the case in this sighting because the colour and description of the lights is not consistent with lanterns.
Aircraft and drones
Manchester Airport is situated around 5 miles from the location and aircraft were flying close to the witness at around the time of the sighting. An aircraft passed to the East of the witness travelling from North to South-East at 2.58am at a height of around 5,000 feet. The aircraft would not have passed directly over the witness. It seems unlikely that this would account for the sighting.
The National Police Air Service is located to the North-West of the location and is a base for Vulcanair fixed wing aircraft and Eurocopter helicopters. Neither of these aircraft would appear as described by the witness and are unlikely to have made no sound when overhead in these weather conditions.
Drones are the most likely object that could match the description given by the witness. There are some V-shaped commercial drones available such as the EBee X but I have been unable to find any that match the shape described by the witness and most are much smaller than the object described. For example, the EBee X is 116cm wide and so would have been flying almost directly over the viewers head to appear so large.
There are also various combat drones that also have a triangular/chevron shape, such as the BAE Taranis which has a wingspan of over 32 feet. I have been unable to find any that exactly match the shape described by the witness but this is an industry that invests heavily in research and development and it is possible that there are models which are either still experimental or are classified. My colleague, Matt Lyons, prepared a more detailed article on the development of drones over recent years which can be found at The NEW UFOs.
The timing of the sighting discounts many commercial activities although commercial drones can be flown at night, and over urban areas, but would be expected to have anti-collision lights. These lights would usually be green or white and would flash to make them visible. While red lights would be permitted, I would have expected the witness to see them flashing. The witness does note that when the golden light moved around but does not believe that it was flashing.
Some drones, particularly combat drones are designed to be quieter which may be why there was not sound noticed by the observer.
The witness noted that the hum from the power station (several miles to the North-West of the location) became quiet when the object passed overhead. This could indicate that the object was lower than the estimation given by the witness and that the solid object blocked some of the sound.
The witness reports that they watched the lights remain within the cloud for around 10 minutes before it began to move towards them. Such drones would usually be able to hover in place. It is not possible to identify exactly where the object was hovering but the from the description given, it would have been somewhere near Urmston.
Similar reports
There have been many reports of V shaped craft and the positioning of lights described in this report is common among other sightings. Most have remained unidentified. I have so far been unable to find any other reports that correspond with the time and date of this sighting but they are sometimes reported at a later date.
Conclusion
Perceiving lights and shapes in the night sky can be very difficult and it is possible that the height, shape and size of the object seen by the witness could be miscalculated.
The witness is very clear in their description of the event, making sketches and a report soon after the sighting. Even if there are some errors in the reporting, it does appear that they saw a physical object.
The object does not precisely match any craft or drone that I have been able to identify, but it is possible that there is technology that I am not yet aware of. The report should be revisited if further information becomes available.
Prepared by Carolyn Bruce, BUFORA Accredited Investigator