A UFO struck a U.S. fighter jet over Arizona, cracking the pilot’s canopy and forcing the $63 million F-16 Viper to land. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported the jet was hit by an “orange-white UAS” (uncrewed aerial system, or drone) on January 19, 2023. Within a day, three more unidentified aircraft were spotted over Barry Goldwater Range, a military training area near the Arizona-Mexico border.

The FAA stated the F-16 was in restricted airspace near Gila Bend when the object struck the rear of its canopy. No injuries were reported, but the jet needed repairs. This incident is one of 22 involving Air Force pilots encountering strange objects between October 2022 and June 2023, many near Luke Air Force Base.

A recent Pentagon report from the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) reveals hundreds of UFO sightings, with Arizona emerging as a hotspot. From May 2023 to June 2024 alone, there were 757 global Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) reports—only 49 were solved. Over half (410) occurred in the U.S., mostly documented by the FAA.