New details on F-16, drone collision in banned Arizona airspace

A little more has been uncovered about the mysterious drone sightings in a highly restricted US military test flight area above the Arizona desert, but the additional details don’t offer any clear idea of who might be illegally piloting the UAVs.

The supplemental information concerned a mid-air collision between a US F-16 fighter jet on January 19, 2023, and a drone it struck within airspace banned to unauthorized aircraft. That incident was one of 22 sightings of UAVs in the Barry M. Goldwater Range in southwest Arizona between October 2022 to June 2023. The area is used by military agencies for testing advanced F-16 and F-35 fighter jets in simulated scenarios and speeds.

The investigative unit of TV station Arizona Family discovered and looked into the illicit drone incursions into the test zone, and has now provided the additional details into the collision with a military jet. It occurred at 1,745 feet, when the pilot of an F-16 pilot witnessed the impact between the UAV and his aircraft. Despite the high speed of the collision, the fighter plane suffered no notable damage.

“The flight was a four-ship formation of F-16s with Mishap Pilot (MP) in the front seat of the Wingman aircraft and the Mishap Instructor Pilot (MIP) in the rear seat… (and) the Mishap Aircraft (MA) was flying Line Abreast formation at 1745 feet Above Ground Level,” said a National Guard report on the incident, which Arizona Family obtained through an Freedom of Information request. “The MIP saw a mostly white and orange object collide with the port (left) side of the MA canopy. The MP heard the impact … Initially believing this was an orange and white bird that hit the canopy, the Mishap Flight (MF) did a Battle Damage (BD) check and saw no damage on the aircraft.”

A subsequent inspection following this plane’s immediate return to base confirmed no damage resulted from the impact.

The location of that strike lies within highly restricted area R2301E, which is part of the Barry M. Goldwater Range used by the US military for pilot training and sensitive ground exercises. 

In addition to their presence in that banned area, some of the drones sighted were operating at altitudes of 20,000 feet – well beyond the capabilities of most consumer UAVs, and a height even amateur thrill-seekers wouldn’t often dare.

It’s also unlikely the drones are among what a top US military official recently revealed were “probably over 1,000” monthly UAV incursions across or around the US southern border. While the military test flight zone is down in that general area, former fighter pilots told Arizona Family that the extreme altitudes involved lead them to conclude the invading craft “belong to one or several foreign governments, hoping to gather information about US. air power.”