2014-04-08 - Rodeo, NM - Light

Reddish-orange craft with no blinking nav lights followed at night by three (military) jets with blinking nav lights.

I went outside our home to check on our animals at 8:45 PM. It was dark at this time and I could hear jet engines just to the south of town, which is somewhat unusual in this very rural region of the country. When I looked upward toward the engine noise I saw a reddish-orange object that at first glance appeared to be a normal aircraft. It was flying toward the southwest in a straight line at an estimated altitude of about 20,000 feet. There is a 10,000-foot mountain range in the same direction(immediately west of town) that allowed me to roughly gauge the altitude.

However, what was unusual about this craft, in my opinion, is that it was not blinking at all; there was no evidence of flashing navigation beacons. The light was a steady reddish-orange color, but too distant to make out any other detail. The other unusual aspect of this sighting is that the reddish-orange craft was being followed (perhaps escorted or pursued???) by three jet aircraft that wer! e equipped with normal bright blinking white navigation beacons. The pursuit craft were approximately one mile behind the reddish-orange craft and appeared to maintain that separation distance until all craft eventually disappeared over the mountain range to the west (Chiricahua Mountains).

I am puzzled by the lack of blinking nav lights on the reddish-orange craft. I am under the impression that blinking nav lights are required by the FAA on all aircraft, especially at night.