Probable explanation #1:
In 1976, we (USAF Laser Weapons Lab) routinely fired missiles from [classified] locations in Utah and crash-landed them at White Sands, trying to hit them with ground based and airborne high energy laser weapons along their trajectory. Before George Lucas and Ronald Reagan, we called this the Global Ballistic Missile Defense System.

Probable explanation #2:
If you've recently traveled US 285 or 60 or 84 between Albuquerque, Roswell, or Clovis, you may have witnessed one or more of the high or low altitude bombing runs conducted by B-1, B-2, FB-111, and other various stealth bombers.
These aircraft assume very ominous looks when their image is distorted by the high temperature thermal distortion occuring at ground level. And out there in the desert, they fly at whatever speed they feel like. Being suddenly passed by a squadron of B-1's at Mach 2 and 50 feet (that you didn't see in your rear-view mirror and never heard coming until they were already a mile beyond you) is a sensation that has no equal! (First-hand experience).