The Serbs Speak!

[iceHawk]

"The history of the F-117A knocked down

Nighthawk The F-117 is not total invisible to the radar. Although to have a RCS of static reflection of the size of excremento of bird, if it to come close itself to a radar will finish being detected, but the short distance. It can be detected by systems of surveillance radar, that operate in band D/E (band L), but is more difficult of being detected by the radars of tracing in bigger frequencies in band I/J (band X). The surveillance radars show a general vision of the area around of the operator and indicate where the tracing radars must be pointed to guide missiles and cannons. Then, the F-117 can be seen by the surveillance radars, but one is péssimo white for the tracing radars. The operator can see the target, but he will have difficulty to lock its radar of tracing and to obtain to destroy the target. With a combination of intelligent tactics, common sense, ability of the operator, learning fast e luck, the Yugoslavs had obtained to knock down the F-117A Nighthawk # 82-806, codinome VEGA-31, with a system of missiles of the decade of 60. Operated from the air base of Aviano in Italy, it it flied nocturnal offensive missions to the average altitude between 5 and 8 a thousand meters. It is close the sufficient to launch bombs with precision, but it is in the reach of the majority of the antiaircraft missiles of Yugoslavia. In 4ª night of the war of Kosovo, in 27 of March of 1999, for return of the 20:15, a F-117 was coming back toward the base, after to launch at least one bomb of 900kg guided the laser in a well defended target in Belgrade. Suddenly, an antiaircraft missile Snows (SA-3 Goa) flying the three times the speed of the sound and guided for an improvised net of radars it blew up to few meters of the aircraft, making to dive it. The ogive of 50 kg was projected to detonate the 7 m of the target. The pilot ejected soon after feeling a force of negative gravity of until 5G's, next to the village to Brudjanovici, the 70 km of Belgrade. The Yugoslavs had reached the F-117 with a battery of missiles of 3o Battalion of 250a Brigade of Missiles (150, Raketna Brigade PVO). Missiles SA-3 have names of women written in the fuselage and Tanja, Ivana and Natalija had been recognized as gone off. This battalion obtained to damage another F-117A in the first day of May of 1999. In a set of documents he stops of a station of TV of the Serbia in 2000, Colonel Zoltan Dani, commander of the battalion at the time, said that the target was detected in an azimuth of 195 degrees. The sequência was automatic as trained and the enrollment lasted less than 18 seconds. The VEGA-31 committed basic errors, as to after fly in the same route some times, day day, being followed routes of other F-117 and becoming its previzível way. Three radars of alert anticipated/monitoring of Russian manufacture P-12 (Spoonrest) that they work in low frequency (147-161 MHz) they had been left unbroken and they had located the flight of the F117. The three radars worked in unisonous for triangular the position of the hunting. The Yugoslavs had used computers to track the weak whisper of return of radar of the F-117. He does not know yourself as they had obtained to determine the altitude of the aircraft and the missiles can until having been gone off, balisticamente, without control none after the detonation. The Yugoslavs had moved batteries of SA-3 for place certain e had used an ideal combination of radar and guidance optics to launch 4 missiles against the F-117. The SA-3 modernized with was local not launched in normal way, using its radar to make target, to prevent anti-radiations missile. In 1998, Yugoslavian company SDPR announced a modernization of S-125-Pechora (SA-3) and 2K12 Kvadrat (SA-6). The modernization included the laser addition of cameras of thermal image and telemetros in the system of control of detonation of the S-125 it missile to be launched without the initial acquisition with radar RSN-125 (Low Blow). Data can be fed in the system for other radars. The reach of the ótico system of the SA-3 is had as 25 km in ideal conditions. One of them blew up next to the F-117, having, probably been detonated for radio control. The pilot informed that the damages in the flight control system became the aircraft impossible to fly."

http://sistemasdearmas.cjb.net/ translation off Altavista.

[swerve]

BBC still has it available, Guardian too. Apparently he served time in prison for it as well. A bit more than an urban legend.

 

Yes, but this is very, very far from what has been suggested, in this forum & elsewhere, which is that Serbia was being given information on scheduled raids during the bombing campaign. This was not only before the campaign, he was caught in plenty of time to change targets. And arrested & tried by the French.

 

In case anyone's forgotten (I expect some have) the French contribution to the NATO bombing of Serbia was the second largest, after the USA, in numbers of aircraft, total sorties flown & strike sorties.