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The troubling question on the mind of many who have spotted them above is: what's behind them?

A Norwegian father was quite certain about what he was seeing when a strange red light appeared between his home and carport on Norway's west coast one frosty night in September's final days.

The father-of-three, a fishing professional and firefighter, was returning with his adolescent boy home from football practice when they paused suddenly by an aerial phenomenon in the clear Norwegian sky.

"Near the outbuilding and residence I notice a mysterious glow that isn't usually present. Me and my boy see straight away it's a flying device," he explained. "We pause for several moments and observe and we notice the crimson illuminations. It was apparent to me it was substantial in size. Maybe 1.5 metres wide."

As a regular drone user, he was well aware of the limitations near his home close to a local airfield, a key base for Nato and the country's military aviation.

Rising Anxieties

It was unusual to observe an unmanned aircraft flying at night. But it was not until the next morning, when he learned of the unauthorized drone flights at the country's aviation facilities, that he started reflecting about it.

The young boys were worried. He sought to provide context. "Currently, we are removed from the war that's occurring but I believe we're being observed and seeking to understand how we behave to drones," he stated.

Rabban says he is not personally afraid currently, but the incidents have already had various emotional consequences on Norwegians. He suspects the situation in the region could deteriorate rapidly. "With increasing sightings the flying devices, growing numbers question what's taking place. They are curious."

Broad Distribution

Following three drones were shot down in Polish airspace recently, reports concerning drones have spread across the European continent, including those that have halted operations at significant aviation facilities.

Denmark's leader addressed the nation following the shutdown of Copenhagen airport. "We're experiencing the initial phases of a hybrid war against the European continent," she said.

A violation over the German airfield recently required flight regulators to halt activities, resulting in the termination of numerous aircraft movements and interrupting transportation for thousands of air travelers.

Historical Parallels

The incursions in Northern Europe also have an informative historical context, said a senior lecturer in the department of psychological medicine.

"It has been said that the past doesn't exactly replicate, but it shows patterns – and what we are currently seeing over Scandinavia is historical patterns repeating," he explained. "There are numerous precedents of unidentified object concerns over these areas where the source was thought to originate from either the Russian Federation or the former Soviet Union."

In the nineteen-thirties it was "mysterious flying machines" that caused panic, believed to be hostile Soviet aircraft on surveillance operations as preceding a military attack.

"Many of these reports correspond with known astronomical objects like Venus low in the horizon," noted the academic. "No flying machine of that era could have remained aloft for the durations that it was frequently seen. Fast forward to 1946 and Scandinavian nations were panicking over numerous reports of 'phantom missiles'."

Mental Health Consequences

Additionally, there exists an emotional consequence that is less appreciated, said a research lead specializing in aerial systems and society.

"In my opinion the intrusions are a method to frighten and to provoke," she said. "Thus unmanned aircraft kind of operate in this undefined space where they establish their visibility, their capabilities, they indicate that defenses can be penetrated, but they don't kind of yet tip into that full-scale aggression that we're seeing in Ukraine and Russia."

Another expert involved in the study stated that since humans employed aviation in conflict, a significant outcome was to "convert tranquil atmospheres into a source of persistent threat."

Current Situation

The unmanned aircraft observations of the current year cannot be described a figment of anyone's imagination but they're happening amid a convergence of geopolitical tensions stoked by eastern expansionism and anxieties over the instability of traditional defense partner the United States.

"Suddenly, various European states such as the Scandinavian nation are feeling more vulnerable than they have in recent memory," he noted.

"Within this atmosphere, the current situation is a collective anxiety attack where the sky has become a societal indicator of the current era, fueled by the fallibility of human perception and fear."

It's almost autumn and the days are getting shorter, which results in extended periods without light which should not be underestimated as it contributes to the unclear nature of these circumstances.

"It's probably harmful for anyone with an anxiety disorder," concluded the researcher.