Peru Air Force UFO Chase
A Peruvian Air Force pilot scrambled to intercept an unauthorized object near a military base, firing on it without apparent effect before it ascended beyond his aircraft's operational ceiling.
Background
On the morning of April 11, 1980, personnel at La Joya Air Base near Arequipa, Peru, spotted an unidentified object hovering in restricted airspace. Lieutenant Oscar Santa Maria Huertas was ordered to intercept it in his Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jet, but the object evaded his attacks and rapidly ascended beyond pursuit.
The Incident
Base personnel noticed the object close to the installation.
Believing it to be an unauthorized surveillance balloon, command ordered Santa Maria to force it to land or eliminate it.
He closed to firing range and fired 64 rounds from his 30-millimeter cannon.
- Projectiles had no discernible impact
- Object: roughly ten meters in diameter, dome-shaped, smooth cream-colored surface with metallic sheen
The Chase
The object began a rapid vertical ascent.
Santa Maria pursued through several altitude changes, reaching approximately 19,000 meters.
Fuel and oxygen limitations forced disengagement.
Official Classification
The Peruvian government classified the object as unidentified.
No prosaic explanation was offered.
Testimony and Context
Santa Maria testified at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., with military witnesses from other nations.
Peru maintains DIFAA (later OIFAA), a government body for investigating anomalous aerial phenomena.
It is one of few nations formally studying such events.
Significance
The La Joya encounter is notable as one of the few documented cases where a military pilot engaged an unidentified object with weapons fire, finding it apparently impervious. Peru's official acknowledgment and continued institutional investigation of the incident illustrate how some nations have approached UAP with greater transparency than others. Santa Maria's first-person account in Kean's book provides extraordinary tactical detail: He was 23 years old with 8 years of flying experience, had flown combat missions at 19 and was a test pilot at 20 for Peru's newest Sukhoi jet. At 07:15 on April 11, 1980 at La Joya AFB (1,800 personnel), Commander Carlos Vasquez Zegarra ordered the intercept. Flying a Soviet-built Sukhoi Su-22 with a 30mm cannon, Santa Maria fired exactly 64 rounds creating a 'wall of fire' -- some rounds struck the object but were seemingly absorbed with no damage whatsoever. The object ascended and Santa Maria pursued at 600 mph (950 km/h) through 4 more attack approaches, each time the object evaded vertically at the last moment. He then climbed to attack from above at Mach 1.6 (1,850 km/h), but the object rose and positioned itself in parallel formation beside the Su-22. Maximum altitude reached: 63,000 feet (19,200m). At 300 feet (100m) distance, Santa Maria observed the object closely: ~35 feet (10m) diameter, shiny cream-colored dome on top like a halved lightbulb, broader silver metallic base below, absolutely no wings, engines, exhaust, windows, or antennae. The object was never detected on radar despite being visually observed by ground personnel. Crucially, the Su-22's mechanical targeting systems (no onboard radar, only laser-based) could not be electronically jammed -- forcing the object to physically evade rather than disable weapons as in Tehran. The object remained visible for 2 more hours after the engagement. A DoD document dated June 3, 1980 titled 'UFO Sighted in Peru' confirmed the event. Santa Maria stated: 'I find myself in the unique position of being the only military pilot in the world who has actually fired a weapon and struck a UFO.'