FRENCH military chiefs have been forced to reveal details about its secret hypersonic weapons tests after bizarre sky trails sparked wild UFO theories.
The zig-zagging patterns were spotted above Spain in Catalonia, Navarra and Aragon as well as Toulouse, France on June 26.
Many were astonished by the odd-looking shapes and alien conspiracies quickly began to appear online, according to Spanish media.
While others speculated the swirling patterns in the sky just before dusk were plane trails from a military aircraft.
A day later, French military officials were forced to admit that a test flight of their experimental hypersonic glider was the reason for the commotion.
The plane, codenamed VMax, was part of their recent missile technology tests – putting the wild UFO theories to bed.
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The VMax was launched from the Biscarosse missile test site on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, in southwestern France.
Sharing images of the test launch online the Directorate General of Armaments said: "Yesterday the DGA carried out, from Biscarosse, the first test firing of a sounding rocket carrying the hyperspeed glider demonstrator VMax.
"Congratulations to all of our teams who worked for this shooting and who are involved daily in the program!"
The French Procurement Agency explained: "Its flight test, on a very demanding long-range trajectory, represented an unprecedented technical challenge that will pave the way for the future of our national hypervelocity roadmap."
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There were no details on the outcome of the first-ever test but officials said analysis of data collected during the test was underway.
In 2019, France contracted aerospace company ArianeGroup to manage the VMAX program, aimed at developing a hypersonic glider demonstrator.
After launch the glider is said to be able to manoeuvre at incredible speed to outrun and evade enemies' sophisticated air defences.
It's thought that VMax could be deployed to French Navy's surface vessels or used to strike moving targets at sea.
The missile is able to reach speeds of 7,000 kilometres per hour, covering the distance between Dunkirk and Nice in just 12 minutes.
Speaking about the project in 2020, Admiral Pierre Vandier said: "The hypersonic threat is a major consideration for us.
"Having missiles of this type is essential in the naval combat of today and tomorrow.
"The Chinese, and to a lesser extent the Russians, have developed a number of hypersonic weapons.
"China is trying to show that this type of weapon could be effective against aircraft carriers, but, despite significant efforts in strategic communication on their part, there is currently no convincing demonstration."
Major nuclear powers have been studying hypersonic gliders for a number of years.
They often use a rocket to propel the glider to high altitudes before the glider and its payload shoot back down to earth at hypersonic speeds.
They are being designed to carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.
Unlike regular ballistic missiles, hypersonic gliders are able to change direction even when moving at high velocities.
In 2019, Russia's own hypersonic glider, the Avangard, entered service.
In Ohio, residents were left stunned when bizarre green spinning lights appeared in the night sky.
Multiple people reported spotting the mysterious rotating spectacle above Middletown, on Wednesday evening at around 10.30pm.
Locals hurriedly whipped their phones out to record the strange object with an ominous green glow stalking the city overhead.
Eerie footage taken by Caden Little shows a ring of lights hovering above him in a whirling motion – before they quickly vanished.
He told local news outlet WCPO the incident "was scary" but that "in like two seconds it was out of sight."
Residents have been frantically searching for answers following the unusual incident, yet authorities have no explanation.
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The Butler County Sheriff's Office said it did not receive any calls about the lights and that it is unaware of their source.
However, experts have been sceptical about the authenticity of the supposed UFO, despite admitting it travelled too fast to be a drone.
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