Within Indonesia UFO Files
What Did Indonesian Forces See Over Surabaya?
The 1964 Surabaya incident sits between wartime confusion and genuine mystery, with later retellings outlasting the official records needed to test it.
On this page
- The confrontation era military setting
- Claims of lights, gunfire and injuries
- Conventional explanations and missing records
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Introduction
The alleged UFO incidents over Surabaya in September 1964 occupy a distinctive place in Indonesia’s UFO history because they unfolded during one of the country’s most tense military periods: the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation (Konfrontasi). Unlike many civilian sightings, these reports describe unidentified aerial objects appearing while Indonesian air-defence forces were already expecting hostile aircraft or reconnaissance missions. According to later accounts, anti-aircraft batteries opened fire, radar operators reportedly tracked unusual targets, and fragments from defensive fire allegedly injured civilians in nearby Sidoarjo. Yet despite the dramatic narrative, the case remains difficult to verify because the detailed descriptions come primarily from retrospective accounts rather than surviving contemporary military records.[merdeka.com]merdeka.comOpen source on merdeka.com.
The Surabaya episode therefore illustrates a recurring problem in Indonesian UFO research: a historically significant story supported by influential witnesses but lacking the original operational documentation needed to distinguish extraordinary events from wartime confusion, misidentification or later embellishment.
Why Surabaya Was Especially Sensitive in 1964
The reported sightings coincided with Operation Dwikora during the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation, an undeclared conflict in which Indonesia anticipated British and Malaysian air operations, reconnaissance flights and possible attacks. East Java held important military facilities, including the Juanda Naval Air Base, making the region particularly alert to unidentified aircraft.[Wikipedia]WikipediaSunda Straits CrisisSunda Straits Crisis
This military setting matters because it changes how the reports should be interpreted.
Rather than observers casually watching unusual lights, personnel were operating under conditions where:
- unidentified aircraft represented an immediate national security concern;
- radar and anti-aircraft units were already on heightened readiness;
- rapid engagement decisions were expected if unknown objects entered protected airspace;
- psychological stress and incomplete information were inherent parts of the operational environment.
That context makes both extraordinary and ordinary explanations more plausible. Military observers may have had better training than ordinary civilians, but they were also working under exceptional pressure.
What Witnesses Claimed to See
The best-known narrative comes from later writings by Jacob Salatun, an Indonesian Air Force officer who later became a prominent advocate for UFO research and helped establish Indonesia’s space agency, LAPAN. His books transformed the Surabaya reports into one of Indonesia’s defining UFO cases.[Wikipedia]WikipediaList of reported UFO sightingsList of reported UFO sightings
According to these later accounts, between approximately 18 and 24 September 1964:
- multiple unidentified objects reportedly appeared over the Surabaya region;
- witnesses described dark or black objects displaying coloured or bright lights;
- some reports compared the shape to a mango rather than the classic “flying saucer”;
- radar operators allegedly detected corresponding targets;
- anti-aircraft batteries opened sustained fire;
- no object was reportedly destroyed despite repeated engagements.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaList of reported UFO sightingsList of reported UFO sightings
Later retellings also expanded the geographic scope beyond central Surabaya, describing observations around Malang, Bangkalan and the Juanda area, although the degree of independent corroboration varies substantially between locations.[Warta Bulukumba]wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.comWarta BulukumbaSejarah penampakan UFO dan alien di Indonesia: Surabaya 1946 hingga Jakarta Selatan 1981 - Warta BulukumbaJanuary 27, 2022…
Claims of Gunfire, Radar Contacts and Civilian Injuries
The most unusual aspect of the Surabaya case is not the reported lights themselves but the alleged military response.
Several later sources claim Indonesian anti-aircraft artillery fired repeatedly at the unidentified objects. According to Jacob Salatun’s version, the objects altered altitude after incoming fire and escaped without visible damage. Some accounts further state that fragments from anti-aircraft shells fell into populated areas around Sidoarjo, injuring civilians sitting outside during the evening.[PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEH]betaufo.idufo muncul saat dwikora surabaya september 1964PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHPemunculan UFO secara massal pada masa Dwikora, September 1964 - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBAN…
If accurate, this detail would fit a well-understood military hazard. Anti-aircraft ammunition frequently produces dangerous falling fragments even when no target is hit. The alleged civilian injuries therefore do not independently demonstrate that an unusual aircraft was present; they mainly indicate that air-defence weapons were reportedly fired.
Another recurring claim is that radar detected the objects. However, no publicly available radar logs, technical reports or operational records have been released that allow independent researchers to evaluate those alleged detections. The radar element therefore remains an important but unverified component of the story.[PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEH]betaufo.idufo muncul saat dwikora surabaya september 1964PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHPemunculan UFO secara massal pada masa Dwikora, September 1964 - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBAN…
The Earlier Juanda Base Incident
Some researchers distinguish the famous September sightings from an earlier report centred on the Juanda Naval Air Base in August 1964.
In this account, naval personnel reportedly encountered a luminous reddish-blue object hovering relatively low above a hangar during cloudy conditions before it disappeared. The testimony was reportedly related years later by Lieutenant S. Badirun and preserved through UFO researchers rather than official military publications.[PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEH]betaufo.idufo muncul di kompleks pangkalan al juanda surabaya agustus 1964PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHUFO Muncul di Kompleks Pangkalan AL, Juanda, Surabaya, Agustus 1964 - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA T…
Although sometimes grouped together with the September incidents, the August report appears to represent a separate event. It demonstrates that unusual aerial reports around Surabaya were not limited to a single evening but also highlights another difficulty: the surviving documentation is retrospective rather than contemporary.
What Documentation Actually Survives?
The greatest weakness in the Surabaya case is not the absence of witnesses but the absence of primary documentation.
Researchers frequently cite:
- Jacob Salatun’s later books;
- later UFO magazines and enthusiast publications;
- modern retellings based on those earlier secondary sources.
By contrast, researchers have struggled to locate:
- original anti-aircraft operational logs;
- authenticated radar records;
- official Indonesian Air Force investigation reports;
- preserved government correspondence;
- contemporary newspaper coverage containing detailed eyewitness statements;
- declassified military files describing the engagement.[merdeka.com]merdeka.comSejarah Penampakan UFO di Indonesia: Disangka Pesawat Canggih Milik MusuhSejarah Penampakan UFO di Indonesia: Disangka Pesawat Canggih Milik Musuh
The lack of accessible archival material does not prove the event never occurred. Military records may have been lost, remained classified, or never preserved systematically. However, without those records it is impossible to reconstruct events with the confidence expected in modern historical research.
Conventional Explanations
Several conventional possibilities deserve consideration because they fit the operational environment of September 1964.
Wartime misidentification
The Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation created conditions in which unknown aircraft were expected. Stress, darkness and incomplete information can increase the likelihood that ordinary aerial phenomena are interpreted as hostile or mysterious objects.[Wikipedia]WikipediaSunda Straits CrisisSunda Straits Crisis
Secret or misunderstood aircraft
At the time, Indonesian forces feared British or Malaysian reconnaissance flights. Experimental aircraft, distant military operations or aircraft observed under unusual lighting conditions could potentially produce confusing reports, although no specific aircraft has been identified that satisfactorily explains every claimed observation.
Astronomical or atmospheric phenomena
Individual reports of bright lights can sometimes arise from planets, meteors, temperature inversions or atmospheric optical effects. However, these explanations become less persuasive if multiple independent radar contacts and coordinated military responses actually occurred. Since the radar evidence remains undocumented publicly, this possibility cannot be properly evaluated.
Narrative expansion over time
The surviving descriptions became increasingly detailed decades after the event. As often happens with historically significant UFO cases, later publications may combine multiple incidents, oral traditions and remembered details into a single dramatic narrative, making it difficult to separate original testimony from later interpretation.
How Historians and UFO Researchers Assess the Case
Among Indonesian UFO enthusiasts, the Surabaya incident is often regarded as one of the country’s strongest historical cases because it allegedly involved military personnel, radar observations and anti-aircraft engagement rather than isolated civilian witnesses.[PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEH]betaufo.idufo muncul saat dwikora surabaya september 1964PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHPemunculan UFO secara massal pada masa Dwikora, September 1964 - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBAN…
Professional historical standards, however, require a more cautious assessment.
The available evidence supports several modest conclusions:
- unusual aerial observations were reportedly associated with Surabaya during the Confrontation period;
- later accounts consistently describe military concern and defensive firing;
- Jacob Salatun played a central role in preserving and popularising the story.
The evidence does not currently establish:
- the identity of the observed objects;
- that radar data confirming unknown craft survives;
- that official investigators concluded the objects were genuinely unexplained;
- that extraterrestrial technology was involved.
This distinction is important because the historical significance of the Surabaya case lies less in proving an extraordinary phenomenon than in illustrating how military tension, incomplete records and influential later testimony can combine to create one of Indonesia’s most enduring UFO narratives.
What the Surabaya Case Contributes to Indonesia’s UFO Record
Within Indonesia’s broader chronology of UFO reports, the Surabaya incidents remain unusual because they sit at the intersection of military history and anomalous aerial claims. Unlike later cases that were eventually attributed to hoaxes, illuminated kites or misidentified launches, the Surabaya reports have never been conclusively explained—but neither have they been substantiated by the kind of contemporary documentation that would allow historians to verify the more dramatic claims.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaUFO sightings in IndonesiaUFO sightings in Indonesia
For that reason, the Surabaya 1964 episode is best understood as a historically important but evidentially incomplete case: one whose reputation has endured through influential retellings, while the official records needed to confirm or refute those accounts remain absent from the public record.
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UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Re...
Examines military and government UFO cases, closely matching the reported involvement of Indonesian air-defence forces.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: merdeka.com
Link:https://www.merdeka.com/histori/read/7888567/misteri-kemunculan-ufo-di-surabaya-dihujani-tembakan-oleh-meriam-tni-tak-mempan
2.
Source: merdeka.com
Title: Sejarah Penampakan UFO di Indonesia: Disangka Pesawat Canggih Milik Musuh
Link:https://www.merdeka.com/histori/read/7767395/sejarah-penampakan-ufo-di-indonesia-disangka-pesawat-canggih-milik-musuh
3.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: UFO sightings in Indonesia
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_sightings_in_Indonesia
4.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Sunda Straits Crisis
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_Straits_Crisis
5.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: List of reported UFO sightings
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reported_UFO_sightings
6.
Source: betaufo.id
Title: ufo muncul saat dwikora surabaya september 1964
Link:https://betaufo.id/ufo-muncul-saat-dwikora-surabaya-september-1964/
Source snippet
PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHPemunculan UFO secara massal pada masa Dwikora, September 1964 - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBAN...
Published: september 1964
7.
Source: history.state.gov
Link:https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v26/d149
8.
Source: history.state.gov
Link:https://history.state.gov//historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v26/d91
9.
Source: wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com
Link:https://wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com/literatur/pr-873576679/sejarah-penampakan-ufo-dan-alien-di-indonesia-surabaya-1946-hingga-jakarta-selatan-1981
Source snippet
Warta BulukumbaSejarah penampakan UFO dan alien di Indonesia: Surabaya 1946 hingga Jakarta Selatan 1981 - Warta BulukumbaJanuary 27, 2022...
Published: January 27, 2022
10.
Source: betaufo.id
Title: ufo muncul di kompleks pangkalan al juanda surabaya agustus 1964
Link:https://betaufo.id/ufo-muncul-di-kompleks-pangkalan-al-juanda-surabaya-agustus-1964/
Source snippet
PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHUFO Muncul di Kompleks Pangkalan AL, Juanda, Surabaya, Agustus 1964 - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA T...
11.
Source: betaufo.id
Title: laporan 1955 1965
Link:https://betaufo.id/category/laporan-1955-1965/
Source snippet
Laporan 1955 - 1965 Archives - PERKUMPULAN PENGAMAT BENDA TERBANG ANEHJuly 12, 2026 — Laporan 1955 - 1965 KASUS PENCULIKAN KAK TUT, 1963...
Published: July 12, 2026
12.
Source: wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com
Link:https://wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com/saintek/pr-873576679/sejarah-penampakan-ufo-dan-alien-di-indonesia-surabaya-1946-hingga-jakarta-selatan-1981?page=all
13.
Source: wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com
Link:https://wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com/saintek/pr-873023642/alor-ufo-incident-1959-salah-satu-peristiwa-sejarah-kemunculan-alien-di-indonesia?page=all
14.
Source: awm.gov.au
Link:https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/schools/indonesia/konfrontasi
Additional References
15.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4BGD2SsbFo
Source snippet
PENEMBAKAN UFO DI JAWA TIMUR OLEH TNI DALAM PERISTIWA DWIKORA 1964...
16.
Source: youtube.com
Title: He Worked Near the President… And Studied UFOs for 30 Years | UFOs and Indonesia
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6KgMOqJnOg
Source snippet
The Edam UFO Incident: Indonesia's Hidden Alien Mystery Part 01...
17.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqo-m5JAraQ
Source snippet
He Worked Near the President… And Studied UFOs for 30 Years | UFOs and Indonesia...
18.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfeINAdZDLU
Source snippet
Kronologi Detail UFO Turun di Alor 1959 & Surabaya 1960an Terungkap...
19.
Source: cia.gov
Link:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp80t01471r001800100002-1
20.
Source: archives.gov
Link:https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/rg-collections
21.
Source: reddit.com
Title: Arek Suroboyo! I Need Your Help (Ufo Case)
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/indonesia/comments/ynndxe
Source snippet
Arek Suroboyo! I Need Your Help (Ufo Case)...
22.
Source: osi.af.mil
Link:https://www.osi.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/2302429/project-blue-book-part-1-ufo-reports/
23.
Source: detik.com
Title: Penjelasan Logis Soal Penampakan Objek Diduga UFO di Genteng Surabaya
Link:https://www.detik.com/jatim/berita/d-8487026/penjelasan-logis-soal-penampakan-objek-diduga-ufo-di-genteng-surabaya/amp
24.
Source: nma.gov.au
Title: Indonesian Confrontation | National Museum of Australia
Link:https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/indonesian-confrontation