Oscar Santa Maria Huertas

Oscar Santa Maria Huertas, born in 1956, is a retired Peruvian Air Force pilot who was stationed at La Joya Air Base in Arequipa. On April 11, 1980, he was scrambled in a Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jet to intercept an unidentified sphere hovering near the base. He fired 64 rounds of 30mm ammunition at the object from close range, but the rounds appeared to have no effect. The sphere then pursued his aircraft through a series of maneuvers. The incident was observed by approximately 1,800 military personnel at the base. Santa Maria has spoken publicly about the encounter, including at the 2013 Citizen Hearing on Disclosure in Washington, D.C., and the event is considered one of the most significant Latin American military UAP encounters.