Peruvian Air Force La Joya Intercept 1980

On April 11, 1980, Peruvian Air Force Lieutenant Oscar Santa Maria Huertas (later promoted to Colonel) was scrambled from La Joya Air Base in a Sukhoi SU-22 after an unidentified balloon-like object was observed hovering over the base. Huertas closed to short range and fired 64 rounds of 30mm cannon fire at the object — several rounds appeared to impact the object but produced no visible damage. The object accelerated from the scene at extreme speed, reaching altitudes and speeds the SU-22 could not match. Huertas pursued for 22 minutes over the Peruvian desert. The Peruvian Air Force officially acknowledged the incident and Huertas's firsthand account. In 1992, Huertas testified at the United Nations at a symposium on UAP. In May 2023, he testified before the US Congressional hearing on UAP alongside other military witnesses, making him one of the very few military pilots to provide sworn public congressional testimony about an armed encounter with an unidentified craft.