Unidentified Object Strikes Air Force F-16 in Arizona

In a rather unexpected incident during a training flight in January 2023, a U.S. Air Force F-16D encountered an unidentified object in Arizona, which has since been identified as a small drone, according to U.S. defense officials.

The occurrence took place on January 19, 2023, near Girabend, while the F-16 was on a routine mission. An instructor pilot reported the incident from the back seat of the two-seat aircraft.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense noted that the pilot saw an object, described as “mainly white and orange,” strike the left side of the aircraft’s canopy, which protects the cockpit. Initially, there were assumptions that the object might have been a bird, a usual threat in aviation. However, after inspection during the flight and when the aircraft landed at Tucson International Airport, crews found “zero evidence” of any bird-related damage.

With no feathers or biological remnants observed, the pilot concluded it was likely an unmanned aerial system—commonly referred to as a drone.

Despite the unusual nature of the incident, the drone operator remains unknown, and it is unclear whether it was flown legally in that area. The event was considered rare by U.S. defense officials, who have not reported any subsequent confrontations between unmanned aerial systems and F-16s since then.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or damage resulting from the strike. Past reports have suggested some discrepancies in how the Pentagon initially described the event, creating a narrative that the aircraft had encountered something truly unidentified.