The F-117, which entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1983, was cutting-edge equipment, and the first operational aircraft to be designed using stealth technology; by comparison, the Yugoslav air defenses were considered relatively obsolete.[3]
In 2020, an F-117A pilot, during an interview in which he also reminded all that the F-117A was "low observable, not invisible", stated that his wingman's F-117A had been damaged by a Yugoslav surface-to-air missile some time after the 27 March incident, but that it managed to return to base.[4] Some reports suggest that this second incident was also committed by the 3rd battery of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade, the same SAM battery that shot down the first F-117.
There are rumours of a 3rd, F117A being hit with a SAM while over target. Several photos over the years have led to speculations.
At about 8:15p.m. local time, with a range of about 8 miles (13 km) several missiles were launched. According to Lieutenant Colonel Đorđe Aničić, who was identified in 2009 as the soldier who fired the missiles, they detected the F-117 at a range of about 23 km operating their equipment for no more than 17 seconds to avoid being locked on to by NATO anti-air suppression.
The F-117, callsign "Vega-31", was being flown by Lt. Col. Darrell Patrick "Dale" Zelko (born 1 January 1960),[3][7] an Operation Desert Storm veteran.[8] He observed the two missiles punch through the low cloud cover and head straight for his aircraft.[9] The first passed over him, close enough to cause buffeting, but did not detonate. The second missile detonated nearby, its shrapnel and shockwave causing significant damage to the aircraft and causing it to tumble out of control.[8] The explosion was large enough to be seen from a KC-135 Stratotanker flying over Bosnia.[8][10]
Zelko was subject to intense g-forces as the aircraft tumbled and had great difficulty in assuming the correct posture for ejecting. After his parachute deployed, he used his survival radio to issue a mayday call and was able to contact the KC-135 that had seen him become shot down.[8] Zelko used his survival radio while still descending although this was contrary to his training.[8][11] He reasoned the altitude would give his signal the best possible range and was also sure he would be quickly taken prisoner by Yugoslav forces on the ground and wanted to confirm he was unhurt before this happened.[8]
Zelko landed in a field south of Ruma and around a mile south of a four-lane highway, European route E70. He quickly concealed himself in a drainage ditch that he had identified as a hole-up site while descending.[8] There, he felt the shock waves of bombs dropped by NATO B-2 bombers on targets on the outskirts of Belgrade.[8] Zelko landed around a mile from his aircraft's crash site, and an intensive search of the area was carried out by the Yugoslav soldiers, policemen, and local villagers. At one point, searchers came within a few hundred meters of the ditch he was hiding in. Zelko was rescued approximately eight hours later by a U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue team flying in a Sikorsky MH-53 helicopter in the early hours of the next morning. According to Zelko, he would later learn that he had been minutes away from being captured.[8][12] He was initially misidentified in press reports, as the name "Capt Ken 'Wiz' Dwelle" was painted on the aircraft's canopy. The lost F-117 carried the name "Something Wicked" and had previously flown 39 sorties during the Persian Gulf War's Operation Desert Storm.[13]
Photographs show that the aircraft struck the ground at low speed in an inverted position, and that the airframe remained relatively intact.[1] The United States did not attempt to destroy the wreckage, surprising analysts and pilots. The F-117 was based on 1970s technology, the military had revealed its existence in 1988, and the aircraft often appeared at air shows. General Bruce A. Carlson stated that if Serbia gave the wreckage to Russia, the result would be minimal.[17]
Some pieces of the F-117's wreckage are preserved at the Serbian Museum of Aviation in Belgrade.[18] A small rubber part of the plane was shown as "a souvenir" to Western journalists by Serbian warlord Arkan during the NATO air campaign.[19] The USAF retired its F-117s in 2008.[20]
Zoltán Dani, now running a bakery, and Dale Zelko, now retired from the U.S. Air Force, met in 2011. They have since developed a friendship.[21]
In 2020, an F-117A pilot claimed that his wingman's F-117A had been damaged by a Yugoslav surface-to-air missile after the 27 March 1999 incident, but it managed to return to base. This incident remains classified and only some details were revealed.[4][22]
Gallery
S-125 Neva air defense system, from the Serbian 250th Air Defense Brigade, on display at a public open day (2012)
Lt. Colonel Darrell Patrick "Dale" Zelko was the pilot of the downed F-117A
Lt. ColonelZoltán Dani was the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia
A poster celebrating the shootdown
References
^ abcLogan, Don. Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks: A Stealth Fighter Roll Call. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2009. ISBN978-0-7643-3242-5.[page needed]
^Robert F. Dorr (28 April 2015). "The Rescue of Vega 31; How special ops forces saved an F-117 pilot in Serbia". defensemedianetwork.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
^ abNewdick, Thomas (1 December 2020). "Yes, Serbian Air Defenses Did Hit Another F-117 During Operation Allied Force In 1999". The Drive. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^Dsouza, Larkins. Defence Aviation, 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
^"How to Take Down an F-117." Strategy Page, 21 November 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
^Dorr, Robert F. "USAF Fighter Force at 60". AirForces Monthly magazine, October 2007.
^ abcdefghi(PDF). Nighthawks. F-117 Stealth Fighter Association. 5 (1). May 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
^. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014.
^"Serb discusses 1999 downing of stealth". USA Today. 26 October 2005. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
^Audio From The 1999 Shoot Down Of F-117 "Vega 31" Over Serbia Is Chilling thedrive.com/the-war-zone, accessed 28 March 2019
^Zelko, Dale (16 April 2016). "The Stranger Who Changed My Life: My Enemy, My Friend". Reader's Digest.
^"F-117A Serial Listings". www.f-117a.com. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
^Roberts, Chris (7 February 2007). "Holloman commander recalls being shot down in Serbia". F16.net. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
^Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0550". F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^Lieven Dewitte: F-16 Fighting Falcon News: USAF F-16CG crashes over Yugoslavia 1 May 1999, www.f-16.net, accessed 28 March 2019.
^Jeffrey T. Richelson (July 2001). "When Secrets Crash". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
^"Air Museum, Belgrade, Serbia Photo Gallery by Vlado Marinkovic at". Pbase.com. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
^"MOGU DA POLOMIM F-117A: Evo kako je ARKAN uništio ponos Amerike i "nevidljivi" bombarder! (VIDEO)". Telegraf. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
^Pae, Peter. "Stealth fighters fly off the radar". Los Angeles Times, 23 April 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
^De Launey, Guy (6 November 2012). "Foes now friends: US stealth pilot and the Serb who shot him down ('they worked towards a face-to-face encounter. That finally came last year')". BBC News. United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
^"DRAGANOVA MIRNA RUKA DOKRAJČILA I DRUGOG "NEVIDLjIVOG": Pripadnici Trećeg diviziona 250. brigade PVO o podvigu tokom NATO bombardovanja". NOVOSTI (in Serbian). Retrieved 6 December 2020.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1999 F-117A shootdown.
Vega 31: The Loss of #806
Russians admit testing F-117 lost in Yugoslavia, 2001 Flight Global article
"Foes now friends: US stealth pilot and the Serb who shot him down". BBC News. 5 November 2012.
August 22, 2023
1999, 117a, shootdown, march, 1999, during, nato, bombing, yugoslavia, yugoslav, army, unit, battalion, 250th, defense, missile, brigade, which, under, leadership, colonel, zoltán, dani, shot, down, nighthawk, stealth, aircraft, united, states, force, firing, . On 27 March 1999 during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia a Yugoslav Army unit the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade which was under the leadership of Colonel Zoltan Dani shot down an F 117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft of the United States Air Force by firing a S 125 Neva Pechora surface to air missile The pilot ejected safely and was rescued by U S Air Force PJs conducting search and rescue 1 2 1999 F 117A shootdownPart of the NATO bombing of YugoslaviaCanopy and ejection seat and wing of F 117 with serial number 82 0806 at the Belgrade Aviation Museum in late 2018 TypeAircraft shootdownLocationNear Buđanovci Serbia Yugoslavia44 54 N 19 52 E 44 900 N 19 867 E 44 900 19 867ObjectiveNATO warplanesDate27 March 1999 1999 03 27 8 15 p m Executed by250th Air Defense Missile Brigade Army of Yugoslavia The F 117 which entered service with the U S Air Force in 1983 was cutting edge equipment and the first operational aircraft to be designed using stealth technology by comparison the Yugoslav air defenses were considered relatively obsolete 3 In 2020 an F 117A pilot during an interview in which he also reminded all that the F 117A was low observable not invisible stated that his wingman s F 117A had been damaged by a Yugoslav surface to air missile some time after the 27 March incident but that it managed to return to base 4 Some reports suggest that this second incident was also committed by the 3rd battery of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade the same SAM battery that shot down the first F 117 There are rumours of a 3rd F117A being hit with a SAM while over target Several photos over the years have led to speculations Contents 1 Downing 2 Aftermath 3 Gallery 4 References 5 External linksDowning EditOn 27 March 1999 the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia under the command of Lt Colonel later Colonel Zoltan Dani downed F 117 Air Force serial number 82 0806 callsign Vega 31 3 5 The Army of Yugoslavia unit was equipped with a Yugoslav version of the Soviet Isayev S 125 Neva missile system NATO reporting name SA 3 Goa 1 3 6 At about 8 15 p m local time with a range of about 8 miles 13 km several missiles were launched According to Lieutenant Colonel Đorđe Anicic who was identified in 2009 as the soldier who fired the missiles they detected the F 117 at a range of about 23 km operating their equipment for no more than 17 seconds to avoid being locked on to by NATO anti air suppression The F 117 callsign Vega 31 was being flown by Lt Col Darrell Patrick Dale Zelko born 1 January 1960 3 7 an Operation Desert Storm veteran 8 He observed the two missiles punch through the low cloud cover and head straight for his aircraft 9 The first passed over him close enough to cause buffeting but did not detonate The second missile detonated nearby its shrapnel and shockwave causing significant damage to the aircraft and causing it to tumble out of control 8 The explosion was large enough to be seen from a KC 135 Stratotanker flying over Bosnia 8 10 Zelko was subject to intense g forces as the aircraft tumbled and had great difficulty in assuming the correct posture for ejecting After his parachute deployed he used his survival radio to issue a mayday call and was able to contact the KC 135 that had seen him become shot down 8 Zelko used his survival radio while still descending although this was contrary to his training 8 11 He reasoned the altitude would give his signal the best possible range and was also sure he would be quickly taken prisoner by Yugoslav forces on the ground and wanted to confirm he was unhurt before this happened 8 Zelko landed in a field south of Ruma and around a mile south of a four lane highway European route E70 He quickly concealed himself in a drainage ditch that he had identified as a hole up site while descending 8 There he felt the shock waves of bombs dropped by NATO B 2 bombers on targets on the outskirts of Belgrade 8 Zelko landed around a mile from his aircraft s crash site and an intensive search of the area was carried out by the Yugoslav soldiers policemen and local villagers At one point searchers came within a few hundred meters of the ditch he was hiding in Zelko was rescued approximately eight hours later by a U S Air Force combat search and rescue team flying in a Sikorsky MH 53 helicopter in the early hours of the next morning According to Zelko he would later learn that he had been minutes away from being captured 8 12 He was initially misidentified in press reports as the name Capt Ken Wiz Dwelle was painted on the aircraft s canopy The lost F 117 carried the name Something Wicked and had previously flown 39 sorties during the Persian Gulf War s Operation Desert Storm 13 On 2 May 1999 the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade also shot down a USAF F 16 fighter piloted by future Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force David L Goldfein 14 15 16 Aftermath EditPhotographs show that the aircraft struck the ground at low speed in an inverted position and that the airframe remained relatively intact 1 The United States did not attempt to destroy the wreckage surprising analysts and pilots The F 117 was based on 1970s technology the military had revealed its existence in 1988 and the aircraft often appeared at air shows General Bruce A Carlson stated that if Serbia gave the wreckage to Russia the result would be minimal 17 Some pieces of the F 117 s wreckage are preserved at the Serbian Museum of Aviation in Belgrade 18 A small rubber part of the plane was shown as a souvenir to Western journalists by Serbian warlord Arkan during the NATO air campaign 19 The USAF retired its F 117s in 2008 20 Zoltan Dani now running a bakery and Dale Zelko now retired from the U S Air Force met in 2011 They have since developed a friendship 21 In 2020 an F 117A pilot claimed that his wingman s F 117A had been damaged by a Yugoslav surface to air missile after the 27 March 1999 incident but it managed to return to base This incident remains classified and only some details were revealed 4 22 Gallery Edit S 125 Neva air defense system from the Serbian 250th Air Defense Brigade on display at a public open day 2012 Lt Colonel Darrell Patrick Dale Zelko was the pilot of the downed F 117A Lt Colonel Zoltan Dani was the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia A poster celebrating the shootdownReferences Edit a b c Logan Don Lockheed F 117 Nighthawks A Stealth Fighter Roll Call Atglen Pennsylvania Schiffer Publishing 2009 ISBN 978 0 7643 3242 5 page needed Robert F Dorr 28 April 2015 The Rescue of Vega 31 How special ops forces saved an F 117 pilot in Serbia defensemedianetwork com Retrieved 19 March 2019 a b c d Pilot recognizes crashed F 117A usatoday com Retrieved 24 April 2010 a b Newdick Thomas 1 December 2020 Yes Serbian Air Defenses Did Hit Another F 117 During Operation Allied Force In 1999 The Drive Retrieved 6 December 2020 Dsouza Larkins Who shot down F 117 Defence Aviation 8 February 2007 Retrieved 1 August 2011 How to Take Down an F 117 Strategy Page 21 November 2005 Retrieved 12 June 2010 Dorr Robert F USAF Fighter Force at 60 AirForces Monthly magazine October 2007 a b c d e f g h i Interview with Lt Colonel Dale Zelko USAF PDF Nighthawks F 117 Stealth Fighter Association 5 1 May 2007 Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 27 April 2015 Dale Zelko lecture for the USAF museum during 2006 Archived from the original on 30 December 2014 Serb discusses 1999 downing of stealth USA Today 26 October 2005 Retrieved 8 May 2007 Audio From The 1999 Shoot Down Of F 117 Vega 31 Over Serbia Is Chilling thedrive com the war zone accessed 28 March 2019 Zelko Dale 16 April 2016 The Stranger Who Changed My Life My Enemy My Friend Reader s Digest F 117A Serial Listings www f 117a com Retrieved 13 November 2012 Roberts Chris 7 February 2007 Holloman commander recalls being shot down in Serbia F16 net Retrieved 28 March 2019 Anon F 16 Aircraft Database F 16 Airframe Details for 88 0550 F 16 net Retrieved 16 May 2008 Lieven Dewitte F 16 Fighting Falcon News USAF F 16CG crashes over Yugoslavia 1 May 1999 www f 16 net accessed 28 March 2019 Jeffrey T Richelson July 2001 When Secrets Crash Air Force Magazine Retrieved 1 November 2019 Air Museum Belgrade Serbia Photo Gallery by Vlado Marinkovic at Pbase com Retrieved 27 September 2012 MOGU DA POLOMIM F 117A Evo kako je ARKAN unistio ponos Amerike i nevidljivi bombarder VIDEO Telegraf 27 March 2015 Retrieved 25 December 2015 Pae Peter Stealth fighters fly off the radar Los Angeles Times 23 April 2008 Retrieved 27 April 2008 De Launey Guy 6 November 2012 Foes now friends US stealth pilot and the Serb who shot him down they worked towards a face to face encounter That finally came last year BBC News United Kingdom British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 14 November 2012 DRAGANOVA MIRNA RUKA DOKRAJCILA I DRUGOG NEVIDLjIVOG Pripadnici Treceg diviziona 250 brigade PVO o podvigu tokom NATO bombardovanja NOVOSTI in Serbian Retrieved 6 December 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1999 F 117A shootdown Vega 31 The Loss of 806 Russians admit testing F 117 lost in Yugoslavia 2001 Flight Global article Foes now friends US stealth pilot and the Serb who shot him down BBC News 5 November 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1999 F 117A shootdown amp oldid 1171324509, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
