Fighter Jet Damaged By UFO Among Dozens Of Mysterious Aerial Objects Seen Near Arizona Military Zones: Report

In a mysterious incident that has raised eyebrows within military and aviation circles, an unidentified flying object struck the canopy of a USD 63 million F-16 Viper fighter jet over Arizona in January 2023. The impact damaged the clear bubble-like structure above the pilot’s head and temporarily grounded the aircraft. The report, based on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documents and first revealed by The War Zone. 

The FAA confirmed the encounter and stated it documents all Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sightings when pilots report them. If radar data or other supporting information is available, the case is passed along to the Department of Defence's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for further investigation.

Ongoing Activity Near Arizona And Mexico Border

Former Pentagon UAP investigator Luis Elizondo has pointed out a consistent pattern of unidentified aerial activity over Arizona, particularly along the border with Mexico. “There has been a lot of activity, a lot of people reporting a lot of things,” Elizondo told NewsNation earlier this month.

According to the most recent AARO report, the US government filed 757 UAP-related incidents between May 2023 and June 2024, 708 of which involved unidentified aerial objects. Alarmingly, only 49 of those cases have been officially marked as “closed.”

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Objects Appear In Swarms, High-Altitude Areas

The unidentified flying objects, often described as small, drone-like crafts, tend to fly in groups of up to eight. They’ve repeatedly appeared in or near US Air Force air combat training sites at high altitudes since at least January 2020.

Though some are speculated to be drones, their flight patterns, grouping behaviour, and presence in restricted airspace continue to puzzle defence officials. The War Zone emphasised that these incidents are not only frequent but appear to follow a pattern of surveillance or strategic reconnaissance.

National Security At Stake

The issue of UAPs has taken on new urgency in recent years, especially following the 2023 incursion of a Chinese spy balloon, which heightened national awareness of aerial threats. According to The War Zone, many of these sightings are “being passed through multiple US military reporting streams,” signalling a shift toward coordinated tracking and analysis. 

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