Type: Government Intelligence Report
Source: U.S. Department of Defense / Joint Chiefs of Staff
The declassified message was prepared within the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff message system. It reports that an unidentified flying object was observed near Mariano Melgar Air Base, La Joya, Peru. The report states that the object was seen on two occasions and describes a Peruvian Air Force Su-22 being scrambled to intercept it. According to the report, the pilot fired at the object from very close range without causing apparent damage and attempted another pass before the object outran the aircraft. The report also describes a second nighttime sighting in which another Su-22 was scrambled and the object again reportedly outran the aircraft.
The document is important independent evidence that U.S. defense intelligence received a report concerning a Peruvian Air Force interception and weapons fire. However, it gives the sightings as May 9 and May 11, 1980, whereas Santa María consistently gives April 11, 1980 for his encounter. The document also states that the shooting information came from a third-party source. It therefore should not be treated as independent confirmation of every detail of Santa María's later account.