GEIPAN (Groupe d’Études et d’Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés) is France’s official UAP investigation unit, operating under CNES (the national space agency) in Toulouse since 1977. It is the longest-running government UAP program in the world. HISTORY: Founded 1977 as GEPAN by Claude Poher. Renamed SEPRA in 1988. Relaunched as GEIPAN in 2005 with a public transparency mandate. Director since January 2024: Frédéric Courtade. OVERSIGHT: Gendarmerie Nationale, Police, Air & Space Force, CNRS, Météo-France, and civil aviation all participate in GEIPAN’s steering committee. Staff: 2 full-time CNES employees plus 20+ trained volunteer field investigators across France. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (A/B/C/D): A = identified; B = probably identified; C = insufficient data; D1 = unexplained; D2 = unexplained with high weirdness and consistency. Only 2-3% reach D1/D2 after full investigation. SCALE: 500+ requests per year; approximately 200 lead to full investigations published on geipan.fr. Database spans 2,200+ cases with 6,000+ eyewitness accounts. Uses IPACO® forensic image authentication software co-financed by CNES. KEY HISTORICAL FINDING: The GEPAN 1978 report to the Scientific Committee concluded: “In 60% of the cases reported here, the description of this phenomenon is apparently one of a flying machine whose origin, modes of lifting and/or propulsion are totally outside our knowledge.” This is the most extraordinary official government statement on UAPs in the historical record — not from a US agency, but from France’s space agency in 1978. France was the only country in the world where the government formally asked a panel of scientists to study the phenomenon. GEIPAN was invited by NASA to present its methodology before NASA’s independent UAP study team in 2022.