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[[File:F-117 canopy.jpg|thumb|Canopy of F-117 shot down by the [[Serbian Air Force|Yugoslav Air Force]] on 27 March 1999, near the village of [[Buđanovci]], Serbia.]]
[[File:F-117 canopy.jpg|thumb|Canopy of F-117 shot down by the [[Serbian Air Force|Yugoslav Air Force]] on 27 March 1999, near the village of [[Buđanovci]], Serbia.]]
The '''1999 F-117A shoot-down''' was an incident that took place on 27 March 1999, during the [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]], (Operation Allied Force, Operation Noble Anvil), when a [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] unit used a [[SA-3 Goa]] to down a [[Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk]] [[stealth aircraft]] of the [[United States Air Force]]. The pilot ejected and was rescued by [[search and rescue]] forces. As of September 2012, this was the first and so far only time an F-117 was shot down.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> It was also the first time that a [[stealth aircraft]] has been shot down in the [[history of military aviation]].<ref name=deconstruct/>
The '''1999 F-117A shoot-down''' was an incident that took place on 27 March 1999, during the [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]], (Operation Allied Force, Operation Noble Anvil), when a [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Army of Yugoslavia]] unit used a [[SA-3 Goa]] to down a [[Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk]] [[stealth aircraft]] of the [[United States Air Force]]. The pilot ejected and was rescued by [[search and rescue]] forces. As of September 2012, this was the first and so far only time an F-117 was shot down.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/>


==Background==
==Background==
The US Air Force F-117A was developed in the 1970s, entering the service in 1983 and officially revealed in 1988.<ref name=usatoday/> It saw its first combat in 1989, and was widely seen as one of the most advanced US military equipment, with a reputation of being untouchable by modern day anti-aircraft weaponry.<ref name=usatoday/><ref name=deconstruct/> At the same time, Yugoslavian air defenses were seen as relatively obsolete.<ref name=usatoday/>
The US Air Force F-117A was developed in the 1970s, entering the service in 1983 and officially revealed in 1988.<ref name=usatoday/> It saw its first combat in 1989, and was widely seen as one of the most advanced pieces of US military equipment.<ref name=usatoday/> At the same time, Yugoslavian air defenses were seen as relatively obsolete.<ref name=usatoday/>


==Downing==
==Downing==
Unknown to NATO, Yugoslav air defenses operators had found they could detect F-117s with their "obsolete" Soviet radars after some modifications.<ref name=usatoday/> (In 2005 Colonel [[Zoltán Dani]] in an interview suggested that those modifications involved using long wavelengths).<ref name=mo/> According to the Serbian officers on site, it was an unauthorized minor modification carried out by local air defenses soldiers operating the air defense equipment, rather than a major and official refurbishment.<ref name=deconstruct/> In addition, the Serbs had also intercepted and deciphered some the NATO communications, and thus were able to position their anti-air batteries at positions best suited to intercept NATO planes.<ref name="mo"/>
Unknown to NATO, Yugoslav air defenses operators had found they could detect F-117s with their "obsolete" Soviet radars after some modifications.<ref name=usatoday/> (In 2005 Colonel [[Zoltán Dani]] in an interview suggested that those modifications involved using long wavelengths).<ref name=mo/> According to the Serbian officers on site, it was an unauthorized minor modification carried out by local air defenses soldiers operating the air defense equipment, rather than a major and official refurbishment.<ref name=deconstruct/> In addition, the Serbs had also intercepted and deciphered some the NATO communications, and thus were able to position their anti-air batteries at positions best suited to intercept NATO planes.<ref name="mo"/>


On March 27, 1999, the 3rd Battalion of the [[250th Air Defence Missile Brigade]] of the [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Army of Yugoslavia]], under the command of Colonel [[Zoltán Dani]], equipped with the Isayev S-125 'Neva-M' (NATO designation [[SA-3 Goa]]), downed F-117 Air Force serial number 82-0806.<ref name="usatoday"/><ref name="archive"/><ref name="deconstruct"/> About 8:15&nbsp;pm local time, SA-3s were fired from about {{convert|8|mi|km}} away, launched by a Yugoslav version of the Soviet [[S-125 Neva/Pechora|Isayev S-125 "Neva"]] (NATO name SA-3 "Goa") anti-aircraft missile system.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/><ref name="strategypage"/><ref name=usatoday/> According to Sergeant Dragan Matić, who was identified in 2009 as the soldier who fired the missile, they detected the F-117 at a range of about 50-60&nbsp;km, and operated their equipment at no more than 17 seconds to avoid being locked down by NATO anti-air-defenses.<ref name=usatoday/> According to Dani in a 2007 interview, his troops spotted the aircraft on radar when its bomb-bay doors opened, raising its radar signature.<ref name="archive1"/> One of the missiles detonated near the F-117 by its [[proximity fuze]]{{what|date=September 2012}}.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> After the explosion, the aircraft became uncontrollable, forcing the pilot to eject.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> The pilot was recovered a short time later by a U.S. Marine Corps [[combat search and rescue]] team.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/><ref name=usatoday/> The F-117's pilot was initially misidentified. While the name "Capt Ken 'Wiz' Dwelle" was painted on the canopy, it was revealed in 2007 that the pilot was actually Lt. Col. Dale Zelko.<ref name="usatoday"/><ref name="airforces"/><ref name=deconstruct/>
On March 27, 1999, the 3rd Battalion of the [[250th Air Defence Missile Brigade]] of the [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Army of Yugoslavia]], under the command of Colonel [[Zoltán Dani]], equipped with the Isayev S-125 'Neva-M' (NATO designation [[SA-3 Goa]]), downed F-117 Air Force serial number 82-0806.<ref name="usatoday"/><ref name="archive"/> About 8:15&nbsp;pm local time, SA-3s were fired from about {{convert|8|mi|km}} away, launched by a Yugoslav version of the Soviet [[S-125 Neva/Pechora|Isayev S-125 "Neva"]] (NATO name SA-3 "Goa") anti-aircraft missile system.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/><ref name="strategypage"/><ref name=usatoday/> According to Sergeant Dragan Matić, who was identified in 2009 as the soldier who fired the missile, they detected the F-117 at a range of about 50-60&nbsp;km, and operated their equipment at no more than 17 seconds to avoid being locked down by NATO anti-air-defenses.<ref name=usatoday/> According to Dani in a 2007 interview, his troops spotted the aircraft on radar when its bomb-bay doors opened, raising its radar signature.<ref name="archive1"/> One of the missiles detonated near the F-117 by its [[proximity fuze]]{{what|date=September 2012}}.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> After the explosion, the aircraft became uncontrollable, forcing the pilot to eject.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> The pilot was recovered a short time later by a U.S. Marine Corps [[combat search and rescue]] team.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/><ref name=usatoday/> The F-117's pilot was initially misidentified. While the name "Capt Ken 'Wiz' Dwelle" was painted on the canopy, it was revealed in 2007 that the pilot was actually Lt. Col. Dale Zelko.<ref name="usatoday"/><ref name="airforces"/>


As of September 2012, this was the first and so far only time an F-117 was shot down.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> It was also the first time that a [[stealth aircraft]] has been shot down in the [[history of military aviation]].<ref name=deconstruct/>
As of September 2012, this was the first and so far only time an F-117 was shot down.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> It was also the first time that a [[stealth aircraft]] has been shot down in the [[history of military aviation]]. Some American sources claim that a second F-117A was damaged during the same campaign, allegedly on 30 April; the aircraft returned to base, but it supposedly never flew again.<ref name="newsbank"/><ref name="description"/><ref name="airforces2"/>

Some American sources claim that a second F-117A was damaged during the same campaign, allegedly on 30 April; the aircraft returned to base, but it supposedly never flew again.<ref name="newsbank"/><ref name="description"/><ref name="airforces2"/><ref name=deconstruct/>


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
The F-117 crashed near near the village of [[Buđanovci]].<ref name=deconstruct/> Photos show that the aircraft struck the ground at low speed in an inverted position, and that the airframe remained relatively intact.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> Pieces of F-117 are at the Serbian [[Museum of Aviation (Belgrade)|Museum of Aviation]] in [[Belgrade]],<ref name="Air Museum, Belgrade, Serbia Photo Gallery by Vlado Marinkovic at"/> others have reportedly gone to Russia, to be used in developing anti-stealth technology.<ref name="newsmax"/>
The F-117 crashed near near the village of [[Buđanovci]].{{cn}} Photos show that the aircraft struck the ground at low speed in an inverted position, and that the airframe remained relatively intact.<ref name="Logan, Don 2009"/> Pieces of F-117 are at the Serbian [[Museum of Aviation (Belgrade)|Museum of Aviation]] in [[Belgrade]],<ref name="Air Museum, Belgrade, Serbia Photo Gallery by Vlado Marinkovic at"/> others have reportedly gone to Russia, to be used in developing anti-stealth technology.<ref name="newsmax"/> The USAF retired the F-117 in 2008.<ref name="LATRetire"/>

The USAF retired the F-117 in 2008.<ref name="LATRetire"/>


==References==
==References==
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<ref name="archive1">[http://web.archive.org/web/20090415224243/http://www.defenceaviation.com/2007/02/how-was-f-117-shot-down-part-1.html "Colonel Dani."] ''Defence Aviation'', 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2011.</ref>
<ref name="archive1">[http://web.archive.org/web/20090415224243/http://www.defenceaviation.com/2007/02/how-was-f-117-shot-down-part-1.html "Colonel Dani."] ''Defence Aviation'', 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2011.</ref>

<ref name="deconstruct">{{cite web|url=http://de-construct.net/?p=5317 |title=Have a Piece of F-117A Stealth Bomber |publisher=De-Construct.net |date= |accessdate=2012-09-27}}</ref>


<ref name="description">Riccioni, Col. Everest E. [http://www.pogo.org#prof "Description of our Failing Defence Acquisition System."] ''Project on Government Oversight,'' 8 March 2005. Quote: "This event, which occurred during the Kosovo conflict on 27 March, was a major blow to the US Air Force. The aircraft was special: an F-117 Nighthawk stealth bomber that should have been all but invisible to the Serbian air defences. And this certainly wasn't a fluke—a few nights later, Serb missiles damaged a second F-117."</ref>
<ref name="description">Riccioni, Col. Everest E. [http://www.pogo.org#prof "Description of our Failing Defence Acquisition System."] ''Project on Government Oversight,'' 8 March 2005. Quote: "This event, which occurred during the Kosovo conflict on 27 March, was a major blow to the US Air Force. The aircraft was special: an F-117 Nighthawk stealth bomber that should have been all but invisible to the Serbian air defences. And this certainly wasn't a fluke—a few nights later, Serb missiles damaged a second F-117."</ref>

Revision as of 03:57, 28 October 2012

Canopy of F-117 shot down by the Yugoslav Air Force on 27 March 1999, near the village of Buđanovci, Serbia.

The 1999 F-117A shoot-down was an incident that took place on 27 March 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, (Operation Allied Force, Operation Noble Anvil), when a Army of Yugoslavia unit used a SA-3 Goa to down a Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft of the United States Air Force. The pilot ejected and was rescued by search and rescue forces. As of September 2012, this was the first and so far only time an F-117 was shot down.[1]

Background

The US Air Force F-117A was developed in the 1970s, entering the service in 1983 and officially revealed in 1988.[2] It saw its first combat in 1989, and was widely seen as one of the most advanced pieces of US military equipment.[2] At the same time, Yugoslavian air defenses were seen as relatively obsolete.[2]

Downing

Unknown to NATO, Yugoslav air defenses operators had found they could detect F-117s with their "obsolete" Soviet radars after some modifications.[2] (In 2005 Colonel Zoltán Dani in an interview suggested that those modifications involved using long wavelengths).[3] According to the Serbian officers on site, it was an unauthorized minor modification carried out by local air defenses soldiers operating the air defense equipment, rather than a major and official refurbishment.[4] In addition, the Serbs had also intercepted and deciphered some the NATO communications, and thus were able to position their anti-air batteries at positions best suited to intercept NATO planes.[3]

On March 27, 1999, the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia, under the command of Colonel Zoltán Dani, equipped with the Isayev S-125 'Neva-M' (NATO designation SA-3 Goa), downed F-117 Air Force serial number 82-0806.[2][5] About 8:15 pm local time, SA-3s were fired from about 8 miles (13 km) away, launched by a Yugoslav version of the Soviet Isayev S-125 "Neva" (NATO name SA-3 "Goa") anti-aircraft missile system.[1][6][2] According to Sergeant Dragan Matić, who was identified in 2009 as the soldier who fired the missile, they detected the F-117 at a range of about 50-60 km, and operated their equipment at no more than 17 seconds to avoid being locked down by NATO anti-air-defenses.[2] According to Dani in a 2007 interview, his troops spotted the aircraft on radar when its bomb-bay doors opened, raising its radar signature.[7] One of the missiles detonated near the F-117 by its proximity fuze[clarification needed].[1] After the explosion, the aircraft became uncontrollable, forcing the pilot to eject.[1] The pilot was recovered a short time later by a U.S. Marine Corps combat search and rescue team.[1][2] The F-117's pilot was initially misidentified. While the name "Capt Ken 'Wiz' Dwelle" was painted on the canopy, it was revealed in 2007 that the pilot was actually Lt. Col. Dale Zelko.[2][8]

As of September 2012, this was the first and so far only time an F-117 was shot down.[1] It was also the first time that a stealth aircraft has been shot down in the history of military aviation. Some American sources claim that a second F-117A was damaged during the same campaign, allegedly on 30 April; the aircraft returned to base, but it supposedly never flew again.[9][10][11]

Aftermath

The F-117 crashed near near the village of Buđanovci.[citation needed] Photos show that the aircraft struck the ground at low speed in an inverted position, and that the airframe remained relatively intact.[1] Pieces of F-117 are at the Serbian Museum of Aviation in Belgrade,[12] others have reportedly gone to Russia, to be used in developing anti-stealth technology.[13] The USAF retired the F-117 in 2008.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Logan, Don. Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks: A Stealth Fighter Roll Call. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7643-3242-5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Pilot recognizes crashed F-117A." usatoday.com. Retrieved 24 April 2010. Cite error: The named reference "usatoday" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Zestrzelić F-117". Mojeopinie.pl. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference deconstruct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Dsouza, Larkins. "Who shot down F-117?" Defence Aviation, 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  6. ^ "How to Take Down an F-117." Strategy Page, 21 November 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  7. ^ "Colonel Dani." Defence Aviation, 8 February 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  8. ^ Dorr, Robert F. "USAF Fighter Force at 60". AirForces Monthly magazine, October 2007.
  9. ^ "Damage said attributed to full moon." Nl.newsbank.com, 6 May 1999. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  10. ^ Riccioni, Col. Everest E. "Description of our Failing Defence Acquisition System." Project on Government Oversight, 8 March 2005. Quote: "This event, which occurred during the Kosovo conflict on 27 March, was a major blow to the US Air Force. The aircraft was special: an F-117 Nighthawk stealth bomber that should have been all but invisible to the Serbian air defences. And this certainly wasn't a fluke—a few nights later, Serb missiles damaged a second F-117."
  11. ^ Nixon, Mark. "Gallant Knights, MiG-29 in Action during Allied Force." AirForces Monthly magazine, January 2002.
  12. ^ Smith, Charles R. "Russia Offers India $8 billion Weapons Deal". NewsMax.com 12 December 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  13. ^ Pae, Peter. "Stealth fighters fly off the radar". Los Angeles Times, 23 April 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008.

External links

44°54′N 19°52′E / 44.900°N 19.867°E / 44.900; 19.867

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