Picture of the day

[old_man]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IbjdEjhHeXg

F117a shot down.

Museum of Aviation in Belgrade

 

[bogusiii]

There's a flight helmet under the canopy. Did the pilot survive?

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Quite the story:

Unknown to NATO, Yugoslav air defenses operators had found they could detect F-117s with their "obsolete" Soviet radars after some modifications. In 2005, Colonel Zoltán Dani confirmed this in an interview, suggesting that those modifications involved using long wavelengths, which allowed them to detect the aircraft. In addition, the Serbs had also intercepted and deciphered some NATO communications, and thus were able to deploy their anti-air batteries at positions best suited to intercept NATO planes.

On 27 March 1999, the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia, under the command of Colonel Dani, downed F-117 Air Force serial number 82-0806, callsign "Vega 31".

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").

At about 8:15 pm 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. According to Dani in a 2007 interview, his troops spotted the aircraft on radar when its bomb-bay doors opened, raising its radar signature.

The F-117, callsign "Vega-31", was being flown by Lt. Col. Dale Zelko, an Operation Desert Storm veteran of Yugoslav ancestry. He observed the two missiles punch through the low cloud cover and head straight for his aircraft. The first passed over him, close enough to cause buffeting, but did not detonate. The second missile detonated, causing significant damage to the aircraft and causing it to tumble, out of control. The explosion was large enough to be seen from a KC-135 Stratotanker, flying over Bosnia.

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 shot down. Zelko used his survival radio while still descending although this was contrary to his training. He reasoned the altitude would give his signal the best possible range and was also sure he would be quickly taken prisoner by Yugoslavian forces on the ground and wanted to confirm he was unhurt before this happened.

Zelko landed in a field south of Ruma and around a mile south of a four-lane highway. He quickly concealed himself in a drainage ditch that he had identified as a hole-up site while descending. There, he felt the shock waves of American bombs dropped by B-2 bombers on targets on the outskirts of Belgrade. 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, police and local villagers. At one point, searchers came within a few hundred yards 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. 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 Operation Desert Storm.

The 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade also shot down a USAF F-16 fighter on 2 May 1999. These were the only two successes out of the dozens of ground-to-air missiles fired during the conflict.

Photographs show that the aircraft struck the ground at low speed in an inverted position, and that the airframe remained relatively intact. Some pieces of the F-117's wreckage are preserved at the Serbian Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, other pieces of wreckage were reportedly sent to Russia and China, to be used in developing anti-stealth technology. A small rubber part of the plane was shown as "a souvenir" to Western journalists by Serbian warlord Arkan during the NATO bombing. The USAF retired the F-117 in 2008.

Zoltán Dani, now running a bakery, and Dale Zelko, now retired from the US Air Force, have met and developed a friendship in recent years.

That last line is interesting. We see this happen once in a while. Here's Robert Stanford Tuck in the office, 1940 or so:

At the same time, just across the channel, was Adolf Galand:

These two fellows made every professional effort to kill each other every time they met. That was the job. Thankfully they both failed, and after the war they met. They became very good friends. Tuck was godfather to Galland's son.

Twenty years later, while shooting The Battle of Britain in Spain, they found time to go hunting together.

Galland also befriended the remarkable Douglas Bader:

There's something very satisfyingly human about that.

 

[Sharps '74]

"Brothers In Arms". It's not just a saying .....

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

The Curtiss C-46 Commando was, for a long time, the largest twin-engine aircraft operated by the USAAF.

A good hauler, but an absolute terror in a strong crosswind.

Seventy years on, there are a few still out there earning their keep:

 

[diopter]

Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-22M4 “Fitter-K”
The Sukhoi Su-17 (NATO reporting name: Fitter) is a Soviet variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed from the Sukhoi Su-7. It enjoyed a long career in Soviet, later Russian, service and was widely exported to Eastern Bloc, Arab air forces, Angola and Peru as the Su-20 and Su-22. It is the first variable-sweep wing of Russian/Soviet origin.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

There's a flight helmet under the canopy. Did the pilot survive?

I believe he did. Did take a while to pick him up though. This was a well planned event, based on the regularity of American flights, kinda stupid. Even the F 117 isn't invincible. Betting this still rankles some US air force types.

Grizz

 

[shredder]

I believe he did. Did take a while to pick him up though. This was a well planned event, based on the regularity of American flights, kinda stupid. Even the F 117 isn't invincible. Betting this still rankles some US air force types.

Grizz

Some (many? most?) of the officers in the USAF (at the time - and probably now) simply didn't understand that Stealth technology only makes aircraft HARDER to detect on radar - NOT impossible......

 

[AP]

Some (many? most?) of the officers in the USAF (at the time - and probably now) simply didn't understand that Stealth technology only makes aircraft HARDER to detect on radar - NOT impossible......

yes excellent point- https://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2016/07/radar-stealth-aircraft.html

 

[srdiver]

Some (many? most?) of the officers in the USAF (at the time - and probably now) simply didn't understand that Stealth technology only makes aircraft HARDER to detect on radar - NOT impossible......

the fact he saw the missiles and did nothing to evade shows he drank the coolaid believing his billion dollar ride was invisible.

 

[diopter]

Note to Air Force Staff: Add chaff dispenser to equipment list for all Stealth Aircraft.

 

[Donny Fenn1]

Some (many? most?) of the officers in the USAF (at the time - and probably now) simply didn't understand that Stealth technology only makes aircraft HARDER to detect on radar - NOT impossible......

That's awesome. I didn't realize it was a missile that took that 117 down, I thought it was the infamous golden BB.

 

[Ganderite]

The Curtiss C-46 Commando was, for a long time, the largest twin-engine aircraft operated by the USAAF.

A good hauler, but an absolute terror in a strong crosswind.

Seventy years on, there are a few still out there earning their keep:

I recall these flying through Gander in the 50's. Flying Tiger had them. I thought they were just an ugly variation of a DC3. It is quite a bit bigger when you see them side by side.

No such thing as security in the 50s. As a teenager I could vist the variouis hangers, talk to the folks, with permission, climb into the planes.

The Commando, B-17 and Canso would be side by side and the B17 looked small. It had the same wingspan as the other 2 planes.

 

[CV32]

Some (many? most?) of the officers in the USAF (at the time - and probably now) simply didn't understand that Stealth technology only makes aircraft HARDER to detect on radar - NOT impossible......

That is simply untrue. I can't imagine there was a single USAF officer - at least likely not anyone involved in flying aircraft, and certainly not in the F-117 program - that would have been that dense. Media? sure.

 

[diopter]

From a Portuguese Soldiers Facebook page on African service:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1602460086699050/?ref=group_header

Text copy and pasted
All forgotten heros dont have to be human, as this info and picture from our friend Luiz shows

A short story about my war dog "FRITZ" in MUEDA
from November 1964 to January 1969.Its a nice story especially his outing with "stupid" new troops...!!!(" Xecas" ou "maçaricos" ) with no idea about the use of dogs in a situation of close combat.

In the end "FRITZ" was very lucky. He was in need
of blood after being wounded in the bush and the Lieut.
in Command called for a "O" hours evacuation and with
in 15 minutes a shopper circled and landed meters from
the troops...!!! The problem was after the crew saw...!!!
the casualty was a "dog" not a soldier. They refused to load a "dog"

The Officer on the ground. Fired a few shots in to the near
by bush and told the pilot that if "FRITZ" died ...
There would be big trouble with the MUEDA's Airforce
Commander; and the story would go up to Brigadier
Costa Gomes( Commander of the Army in Mozambique) at the time.
They all knew "FRITZ" and his story in the Mueda Base.
Like that, "FRITZ" survived and lived to be old.

 

[Donny Fenn1]

That is simply untrue. I can't imagine there was a single USAF officer - at least likely not anyone involved in flying aircraft, and certainly not in the F-117 program - that would have been that dense. Media? sure.

I bet there was. Only because I listened to a Canadian officer on the Dave Rutherford show once who said that one of the reason "we" got rid of the FN was it used 7.62 ammunition, the same as the AK and "we" didn't want to leave ammo lying around for our potential enemies.

 

[diopter]

I bet there was. Only because I listened to a Canadian officer on the Dave Rutherford show once who said that one of the reason "we" got rid of the FN was it used 7.62 ammunition, the same as the AK and "we" didn't want to leave ammo lying around for our potential enemies.

I assume he went on to become one of the RCMP firearms "Experts"

 

[CV32]

the fact he saw the missiles and did nothing to evade shows he drank the coolaid believing his billion dollar ride was invisible.

Not really. The Serbs fired a lot of surface to air missiles into the air without guidance, so it was not uncommon to see them being launched. The biggest error that had been made prior to the shootdown was being predictable in their mission profiles and approaches, such that the SAM battery was able to prepare an ambush.

Zoltan claims to have made modifications to the battery's P-18 (NATO Spoon Rest) VHF band surveillance radar (among other items), but this is probably doubtful. It is quite possible that the P-18 was able to detect the F-117A at short range when its bomb bay doors were opened. (Note that in 1991, F-117A aircrew already well aware of their vulnerability at this point in an attack; they tried to time their runs over Baghdad so that bomb bay doors were opened simultaneously.)

At least long enough for the Serb S-125 (NATO SA-3 Goa) SAM battery to gain a target track and fire a pair of missiles. Keep in mind that the SA-3 is a command guided system - it does not home independently on the target once launched. It also has an optical tracking mode, although Zoltan denies its use in this engagement. Zelko would have had very little warning that he was the subject of an attack. The F-117A had no countermeasures like chaff or flares.

 

[CV32]

I bet there was. Only because I listened to a Canadian officer on the Dave Rutherford show once who said that one of the reason "we" got rid of the FN was it used 7.62 ammunition, the same as the AK and "we" didn't want to leave ammo lying around for our potential enemies.

Not even remotely the same as a F-117A pilot.

 

[Bubba Yugga]

I assume he went on to become one of the RCMP firearms "Experts"

Oh, come on, they can't be THAT smart!