Red mode as leakage
The red/orange state may not be intentional illumination. It may occur during hover, low altitude, change of altitude, turning, acceleration, dense/humid/saline air, corona discharge or temporary loss of spectral concealment.
| Mode | Manifestation | Cases / clues |
|---|---|---|
| Low/slow visible mode | Red/orange/plasma orb; hover; horizontal motion. | Altea, PR002, PR003, PR004, Surrey. |
| Sensor mode | IR/SWIR contrast area without known visible color. | PR034, PR035, PR028. |
| Black/off mode | Visible envelope turns off, leaving a dark core against night sky. | Surrey reports black/disappearance; Payson-like reports describe reappearance. |
| Contrast loss | Object may not vanish physically; it ceases to differ from the background. | PR035 when moving from water background to land background. |
| Band change | Visible to IR/SWIR or reverse. | PR028 detected in SWIR and lost in visible. |