Chilean Army Captain Reports Radar-Visual Cigar UFO South of Santiago

In 2000, Captain Rodrigo Bravo Garrido of the Chilean Army Aviation Brigade (BAVE) documented a radar-visual sighting of a cigar-shaped object observed south of Santiago during his tenure investigating anomalous aerial phenomena for the Chilean military. The case became one of the signature examples Bravo later presented publicly in international forums.

The Incident

The object was tracked both visually and on radar by military observers south of Santiago. Its cigar-shaped profile and flight behaviour did not match any known conventional aircraft. Radar returns were consistent with a solid object executing non-standard manoeuvres.

Investigation

Bravo, tasked at that time with investigating sightings reported by Chilean pilots, included this case in his internal 2000 military study, "Introducción a los Fenómenos Aéreos Anómalos". The case was later shared with Chilean civil aviation authorities and contributed to Chilean aviation's formal interest in UAP reporting.

Significance

In 2007, Bravo presented the case alongside the 1988 Tepual Airport near-collision at the National Press Club event organised by journalist Leslie Kean. He also contributed material on Chilean aeronautical UAP cases to Kean's 2010 book "UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record". Together, these cases helped establish Chile as one of the countries with a transparent, scientific approach to aerial anomaly reporting.