combat losses canopy of f-117 shot down on 27 march 1999, near the village of bu273;anovci, serbia (museum of aviation in belgrade) one f-117 has been lost in combat, to the yugoslav army. on 27 march 1999, during the kosovo war, the 3rd battalion of the 250th air defence missile brigade under the command of colonel zoltán dani[34], equipped with the isayev s-125 'neva' (nato designation sa-3 'goa') anti-aircraft missile system, downed a f-117a callsign "vega 31," af serial number 82-0806, with a serbian improved neva-m missile.[35][36] according to nato commander wesley clark and other nato generals, yugoslav air defences detected f-117s by operating their radars on unusually long wavelengths, making them visible to radar for brief periods. reportedly, several sa-3s were launched from approximately 8 miles out, one of which detonated near the f-117a, forcing the pilot to eject. though still classified, it is believed that the f-117 has no radar warning indicator, so the pilot's first indication of an incoming missile was likely seeing its flame. at this distance and combined speed the pilot had about 6 seconds to react before impact. according to an interview, zoltán dani kept most of his missile sites intact by frequently moving them, and had spotters looking for f-117s and other nato aircraft. he personally supervised the modification of his targeting radar to increase its wavelength. the commanders and crews of the sams guessed the flight paths of earlier f-117a strikes from rare radar spotting and positioned their sam launchers and spotters accordingly. it is believed that the sa-3 crews and spotters were able to locate and track f-117a 82-806 visually, probably with infra-red and night vision systems. he claimed that his battery shot down an f-16 as well. the f-117 pilot survived and was later rescued by u.s. air force pararescue personnel. the wreckage of the f-117 was not promptly bombed, due to possible media fallout from news footage of civilians around the wreckage. the serbs are believed to have invited russian personnel to inspect the remains, compromising the then 25-year old u.s. stealth technology.[37] the remains are displayed at the museum of aviation in belgrade close to belgrade nikola tesla airport. an error was made by many about the pilot's identity. while the name "capt ken 'wiz' dwelle" was painted on the canopy, it was revealed in 2007 that the pilot was lt col dale zelko, usaf.[38][39] some american sources acknowledge that a second f-117a was damaged during the same campaign, and although returned to base, it supposedly never flew again.[40][41] |