Robert Salas graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1964 and served seven years on active duty as a weapons controller, target drone operator, ICBM launch officer at Malmstrom AFB, and missile propulsion engineer.
In 1996 he began publicly describing a March 24, 1967, incident at Malmstrom where a glowing red object reportedly hovered near Oscar Flight as ten Minuteman missiles simultaneously lost launch capability.
- U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, class of 1964; master's degree in aerospace engineering from Air Force Institute of Technology.
- On duty as deputy missile combat crew commander at Oscar Flight, Malmstrom AFB, March 24, 1967, when missiles went offline after UFO reports.
- Resigned Air Force commission in 1971; worked 21 years as FAA aircraft certification engineer until 1995.
- First public disclosure in 1996 Great Falls Tribune article; later spoke at 2001 Disclosure Project press conference.
- Ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House in California's 26th district in 2020.
- United StatesBorn in Chandler, Arizona
- U.S. Air ForceOfficer 1964–1971
- U.S. Air Force AcademyGraduate 1964
- Malmstrom Air Force Base341st Strategic Missile Wing, 1966–1967
- Federal Aviation AdministrationAircraft certification engineer 1974–1995
- Democratic Party2020 congressional candidate
Background
Robert L. Salas was born in Chandler, Arizona, and raised primarily in Los Angeles. He entered the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 1960 and graduated in 1964 with a commission as a second lieutenant. After commissioning he completed initial training and served as a weapons controller and target drone pilot at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
In 1966 Salas received orders to the 341st Strategic Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. There he served as a missile launch officer in underground launch control centers, responsible for monitoring and readiness of Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missiles. He stood alert shifts with a commander in facilities such as Oscar Flight.
On March 24, 1967, while on duty at Oscar Flight, Salas received telephone reports from surface security personnel describing unusual aerial lights performing sharp maneuvers. A later call described a glowing red object hovering near the front gate. Shortly afterward, multiple missiles in the flight switched to no-go status, losing strategic alert.
Salas and his commander followed standard checklists and reported the event through the chain of command. Maintenance teams later restored the missiles. An earlier similar shutdown had occurred eight days prior at Echo Flight on March 16, though that event lacked contemporaneous UFO reports in official records.
Salas continued Air Force service after Malmstrom, earning a master's degree in aerospace engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He worked as a missile propulsion engineer on the Titan III program until resigning his commission in 1971, citing opposition to the Vietnam War.
After leaving the service, Salas worked briefly as a reliability engineer for Martin-Marietta and Rockwell International on Space Shuttle proposals. In 1974 he joined the Federal Aviation Administration as an aircraft structures certification engineer, a role he held for 21 years until retiring around 1995. He also advised Indonesian aviation authorities while attached to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta from 1991 to 1993.
In retirement Salas taught mathematics at schools in California from 1999 to 2016. He first connected his 1967 experience to UFOs after reading a book by Timothy Good in the mid-1990s. In 1996 he contacted a local newspaper and began giving interviews describing the Oscar Flight event.
Salas has since spoken at UFO conferences, appeared on radio programs, and testified at the 2001 National Press Club Disclosure Project event. He co-authored books on the topic and maintains that the missile shutdowns had no conventional explanation. In 2020 he ran as a Democrat for the U.S. House seat in California's 26th congressional district but did not advance past the primary.
Throughout his public statements Salas has emphasized the national security implications of the 1967 events and the lack of a satisfactory Air Force explanation. He has described additional personal anomalous experiences in later years but focuses primarily on the Malmstrom incidents in his advocacy.
Where They Are Now
As of October 2026, Robert Salas lives in Ojai, California. He continues to speak and appear in media about the 1967 Malmstrom incidents and broader UAP topics, including recent podcast interviews and participation in documentary projects.
He remains active in public discussion of his Air Force experiences and has not held elected office.
Last updated 25 October 2026