One F-117 has been lost in combat, to Serbian/Yugoslav forces. On March 27, 1999, during the Kosovo War, the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Missile Brigade under the command of Colonel Zoltán Dani, equipped with the Isayev S-125 ‘Neva-M’ (NATO designation SA-3 ‘Goa’), downed F-117A serial number 82-806 with a Neva-M missile. According to NATO Commander Wesley Clark and other NATO generals, Yugoslav air defenses found that they could detect F-117s with their “obsolete” Soviet radars operating on long wavelengths. This, combined with the loss of stealth when the jets got wet or opened their bomb bays, made them visible on radar screens. The pilot, Captain Ken “Wiz” Dwelle, survived and was later rescued by NATO forces. However, the wreckage of the F-117 was not promptly bombed, and the Serbs are believed to have invited Russian personnel to inspect the remains, inevitably compromising the US stealth technology. The SAMs were most likely guided manually with the help of thermal imagers and laser rangefinders included in the Pechora-M variant of the SA-3s believed to have been used. Reportedly several SA-3s were launched, one of which detonated in close promixity to the F-117A, forcing the pilot to eject. According to an interview, Zoltán Dani was able to keep most of his missile sites intact and had a number of spotters spread out looking for F-117s and other aircraft. Zoltán and his missile crews guessed the flight paths of earlier F-117As from occasional visual and radar spottings and judging from this information and what target had just been bombed, Zoltán and his missile battery determined the probable flight path of F-117A. His missile crews and spotters were then able to locate it and fire their missiles. Zoltán also claims to have modified his radars to better detect the F-117A, but he has not disclosed what was changed. Parts of the shot-down aircraft are now presented to the public in the Museum of Yugoslav Aviation in Belgrade.
Some sources claim a second F-117A was also damaged during a raid in the Kosovo War, and although it made it back to its base, it never flew againbr
Source: strategypage.com
Who downed the F-117 will be in part-2, please feel free to leave a comment here.
6 Comments Received
August 23rd, 2007 @8:52 am
i heard a rumor in serbia that the f117A was easy to spot because it had an enterouge of visible aircraft around it. prob f16s. on the radar, u could imagine, seeing four dots in the shape of a circle. the soldier operating the battery was told to concentrate on the black space on the radar in the centre of the surrounding dots/aircraft. he was told to shoot at the black space when in range. next thing u know it an invisible f117A was destroyed.
September 23rd, 2007 @4:00 pm
@AnonymousBR/BR/Wow… Never heard that before. Thanks for bringing it up.
June 15th, 2008 @10:22 am
This is not important, but for dots cannot form a circle.
October 12th, 2008 @11:00 am
This can not be the case as this would almost certainly compromise its cover. They always flew alone.
November 7th, 2008 @11:58 pm
No I can see the logic, the defenders are meant to concentrate on the obvious targets thus not realising there is a fifth invisible target in the middle.BR/BR/Not exactly great logic, but this is the American air force we are talking about.
November 22nd, 2008 @5:57 pm
those f-16s which were supposed to give cover to that f-117 would hav been atleast 5000 feet above and behind the 117…not in a circular formation at the same altitude around it…..that is the usual way of givin air cover for any bomber….so i dont think the logic u posted is from a reliable source…
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