Operation Saucer ( pt, Operação Prato; literally, ''Operation Plate'') was an investigation carried out between 1977 and 1978 by the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

following alleged UFO sightings in the city of Colares. The investigation was closed after finding no unusual phenomena.English translation
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History

Precedent events

In 1977, numerous UFOs were reported in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian city of Colares,

Pará Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana a ...

. Local residents claimed that scars on their bodies were caused by the lights in the sky, and named the lights "Chupa Chupa" (literally ''Sucker-Sucker''). Believing it would keep the lights away, residents of Colares organized night vigils, lit fires, and ignited

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

. Mayor José Ildone Favacho Soeiro requested help from the Air Force.

The Operation

The operation was commanded by Captain Uyrangê Bolivar Soares Nogueira de Hollanda Lima. During late 1977, several pictures of lights were recorded but the military remained skeptical. After approximately four months, the operation was closed after finding no unusual phenomena. The official documents can be obtained from the

Brazilian National Archives The National Archives of Brazil ( pt, Arquivo Nacional, AN) were created in 1838 as the Imperial Public Archives. The Archives were renamed in 1911, and are located in Rio de Janeiro. The National Archives of Brazil is the Brazilian institution r ...

(Arquivo Nacional).

Conspiracy theories

In 1997, two decades after the operation, Captain Uyrangê gave an interview to

Ufologist Ufology ( ) is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins (most frequently of extraterrestrial alien visitors). While there are instances of government, private, and f ...

Ademar José Gevaerd Ademar José Gevaerd (19 March 1962 – 9 December 2022), also known simply as A. J. Gevaerd was a Brazilian ufologist. He was editor of ''Revista UFO'' (UFO Magazine), founder and director of the Brazilian Center for Flying Saucer Research (C ...

and Marco Antônio Petit where he recounted his experiences living alongside his men. Three months after the interview, he was found dead in his home "after he seemingly hung himself using the belt of his bathrobe", attracting the interest of conspiracy theorists.

UFOlogists

According to ufologist

Jacques Vallée Jacques Fabrice Vallée (; born September 24, 1939) is an Internet pioneer, computer scientist, venture capitalist, author, ufologist and astronomer currently residing in San Francisco, California and Paris, France. His scientific career beg ...

, a number of individuals were reportedly killed as a result of the "lights" fired upon them by the UFOs, and injuries were consistent with radiation effects from microwaves.Confrontations – A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact (hardcover ed.), Jacques Vallée. Ballantine Books. March 1990. Page 134. Other ufologists claimed that the lights from UFOs sucked blood from 400 people.

References