Świdnica: MiG-17 Pilot Encounters Cigar UFO
Polish Air Force pilot Apoloniusz Czernów spotted a cigar-shaped object while pursuing a suspected balloon near Świdnica at 26,000 feet. The object accelerated away rapidly after he approached.
Background
Witness and Context
Polish fighter pilot Apoloniusz Czernów of the 3rd Fighter Regiment in Warsaw was returning from a balloon interception. He was flying a MiG-17 at about 7,900 metres over the area around Świdnica, Poland.
Sighting and Pursuit
At a distance of 9 miles he noticed an object at 1,000 metres altitude that looked like a balloon. He turned toward it, closed, and made out a silvery-orange, cigar-shaped structure, tilted at 45 degrees and pulsating with an unusual light. The object climbed rapidly, flew north, turned orange-red, and disappeared.
Evidence and Reaction
Base radar registered nothing. There were no further detections. The event comes from Eberhart's UFOs and Intelligence: A Timeline (p. 460), source: Poland 63–64. A military encounter without physical traces.