Oscar Santa María Huerta

Military Career

Oscar Santa María Huerta served 25 years in the Peruvian Air Force (FAP), rising to the rank of colonel before retirement. At the time of the 1980 incident, he was a 23-year-old lieutenant stationed at La Joya Air Base near Arequipa, Peru, approximately 1,000 kilometers south of Lima. With eight years of combat flying experience already logged, Huerta was an experienced and decorated military pilot, having conducted combat missions since age 19.

The April 11, 1980 Incident

On the morning of April 11, 1980, approximately 1,800 military personnel and civilians at La Joya witnessed a mysterious object hovering silently above the base. Initial reports characterized it as balloon-like, prompting air defense commanders to issue an intercept order. Huerta was scrambled in his Russian-made Sukhoi-22 fighter jet.

The object he encountered was approximately 10 meters in diameter (some sources cite 30 feet), with a distinctive cream-colored enameled dome atop a wide circular silver metallic base. The craft exhibited no visible wings, propulsion jets, exhausts, windows, antennae, or any conventional aircraft components. Its surface appeared highly polished or molten, reflecting light intensely.

During a 22-minute engagement, Huerta closed to firing distance and discharged 64 rounds of 30mm ammunition in four separate bursts—a volume of fire sufficient to destroy conventional aircraft or armored vehicles. Huerta later testified: "It had no effect at all. One of those bullets would have blown up a truck."

Throughout the encounter, the object demonstrated apparent anticipatory maneuvering, consistently evading Huerta's targeting attempts. When he locked on for an attack run, the craft would climb away. It ultimately ascended to altitudes between 19,200 and 63,000 meters (sources vary), exceeding the operational ceiling of his aircraft. Depleted of fuel and unable to pursue further, Huerta returned to base.

Credibility and Official Recognition

Huerta's account stands as the only officially documented and acknowledged case of a military aircraft firing weapons at a UFO. In June 1980, the United States Department of Defense issued a classified document titled "UFO sighting in Peru," confirming the incident and noting that the object's origin remains unknown. The presence of ~1,800 military and civilian witnesses lends substantial corroboration to his testimony.

Decades after the event, in 2013, Colonel Huerta testified publicly at the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., alongside other military officers advocating for government transparency on UAP encounters. His calm, measured demeanor and willingness to provide technical details—rather than sensationalize the encounter—reinforced his credibility among disclosure advocates.