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UNCLASSIFIED
STATE-021 · 1980-04-11

La Joya Air Base Intercept — Peruvian Air Force Official Report

State Dept◎ La Joya Air Base, Arequipa Region, Peru◌ North America#1980◈ Orb / Sphere↑ ~19,000 ft⏱ ~22 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Witness testimony, radar language, and dossier reconstruction.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

Peruvian Air Force Commander (then Lieutenant) Oscar Santa María Huerta scrambled a Sukhoi-22 fighter to intercept a bright spherical object near La Joya Air Base. He fired 64 rounds at the object at close range — the rounds appeared to pass through it or had no effect. The object then climbed to extreme altitude, outrunning the aircraft. Santa María Huerta later testified before the United Nations and the US Congress, and is one of the most credentialed military pilot witnesses in the global UAP record.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Colonel Oscar Santa María Huerta (pilot); La Joya Air Base personnel
EVIDENCE PROFILE
VISUAL RECONSTRUCTIONORB / SPHERE
FILE ID
STATE-021
DATE
1980-04-11
AGENCY
State Dept
REGION
North America
SHAPE
Orb / Sphere
ALTITUDE
~19,000 ft
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Rapid Acceleration90° TurnsSensor Interference
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On April 11, 1980, a bright spherical object was observed hovering near La Joya Air Base in Peru. First Lieutenant Oscar Santa María Huerta of the Peruvian Air Force was scrambled in a Sukhoi-22 fighter to intercept. Santa María Huerta closed on the object and fired 64 rounds of 30mm ammunition at close range. The rounds appeared to have no effect — he observed impacts but the object remained undamaged. The object climbed steeply; Santa María Huerta pursued in afterburner. The object matched his climb, outran his aircraft at altitude, and eventually disappeared at a ceiling far above the Sukhoi-22's operational limit. The entire engagement lasted approximately 22 minutes. Santa María Huerta returned to base and filed a formal report. The Peruvian Air Force officially documented the incident. Santa María Huerta rose to the rank of Commander in the Peruvian Air Force. He subsequently testified about the incident at multiple official venues including United Nations discussions and before US congressional staff. The incident is among the most combat-realistic UAP engagements in any national military record — involving a combat aircraft, live weapons fire, confirmed no-damage to the target, and a credentialed career officer witness who officially reported the event.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • ›64 rounds of 30mm ammunition fired at close range — object appeared undamaged
  • ›Object outclimbed a Sukhoi-22 in full afterburner to altitude beyond aircraft operational ceiling
  • ›Peruvian Air Force officially documented the incident — formal military record
  • ›Pilot Oscar Santa María Huerta (later Commander) testified at United Nations and before US congressional staff
  • ›22-minute engagement — among the most sustained combat-realistic UAP intercept attempts on record
  • ›One of the most credentialed military pilot witnesses in the global official UAP record
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file STATE-021inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / State Dept, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

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MORE STATE DEPT FILES →MORE ORB / SPHERE CASES →MORE 1980 CASES →
EVIDENCE STRENGTH
MODERATE
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
0
Witness Credibility
20
Sensor Corroboration
20
Physical Evidence
0
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ARCHIVE EXPORT
RESEARCH GUIDES
›How AARO Publishes UAP Cases›NARA Record Group 615ALL GUIDES →
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