The La Joya Air Base UFO Incident

On April 11, 1980, Peruvian Air Force pilot Oscar Santa Maria Huerta was scrambled to intercept what appeared to be an unauthorized aircraft near La Joya Air Base. What he encountered was no conventional craft.

The Intercept

Commander Huerta was ordered to destroy what appeared to be a balloon near the restricted military zone. He closed in his Soviet-made Sukhoi Su-22 and opened fire with 64 30mm rounds. The projectiles had no effect.

The Object

As Huerta approached, he realized the object was not a balloon. It was a dome-shaped craft about 35 feet in diameter, metallic, and without wings or propulsion. It absorbed his rounds without visible damage.

The Chase

The object rose rapidly, and Huerta gave chase, climbing to over 60,000 feet. The object easily outpaced him, then stopped suddenly. Huerta made three more attack runs, each time the object evaded with impossible maneuvers.

The Aftermath

Approximately 1,800 military personnel on the ground witnessed the encounter. Huerta was interviewed extensively and eventually gave public testimony about the incident. The Peruvian government acknowledged the encounter.

Assessment

The La Joya incident is one of the few cases where a military pilot engaged a UFO with weapons and witnessed the complete failure of his attack. Huerta’s testimony and the military acknowledgment make this one of the most significant military UFO encounters.