They performed flawlessly in hundreds of missions over Iraq in 1991. It was the first time one of the $43 million F-117’s had gone down in hostile action. The loss of the F-117 was a propaganda coup for the Serbians, who have absorbed four days of heavy pounding from American and NATO bombs and missiles and the loss of at least five MIG fighters in air-to-air combat. Appalled by numerous reports of atrocities in Kosovo, including mass executions, deportations and forced marches, NATO and United States officials accelerated a decision to attack Serbian forces in the field, officials here and in Europe said. Reports of the loss of the American aircraft stunned White House officials, who had spent most of the day consulting with European leaders about expanding the military mission in Yugoslavia. However, the continued brutality and repression of the Serb forces further underscores the necessity for NATO forces to persevere.“ „As I’ve said from the outset,“ Clinton said in a statement released by the White House late Saturday night, „this military operation entails real risks. He said that the United States and NATO were broadening the goals of the four-day-old military operation in Yugoslavia to include attacks on equipment and troops of the Serbian army and police forces. President Clinton Saturday night expressed relief that the pilot, who was not identified, was safely snatched from Serbian territory only hours after his plane went down. The Pentagon would not discuss why the plane went down. The official Tanjug news agency in Yugoslavia said the F-117 was brought down late Saturday near Budjenovci, 35 miles northwest of Belgrade.Īlthough pictures of the fiery wreckage were shown on Serbian and American television for hours tonight, Administration officials did not confirm the loss of the aircraft until the pilot was safely out of Serbian air space. There was hostile missile activity in the area where the plane was operating, one Pentagon official said Saturday night, but there was no independent confirmation that the plane was brought down by Serbian fire. The Pentagon says the pilot was rescued.Īuthorities in Belgrade claimed that Serbian air defenses had shot down the radar-evading stealth aircraft, one of the most advanced weapons in the American arsenal. The Pentagon says the pilot was rescued.īurning wreckage of what is thought to be a U.S. Part of the wreckage shown on Serbian television.īurning wreckage of a plane thought to be a U.S. The Pentagon says the pilot was rescued.Ī close-up view of the wreckage taken from footage shown on Serbian television.Īnother view of the wreckage of the stealth fighter taken from footage shown on Serb television. stealth fighter.Ī close-up of identification marks reading „Air Combat Command“. An image taken from Serbian television shows the wreckage of a U.S. The pilot of the F-117 was rescued by an American military search-and-rescue team six hours after his plane went down, according to Administration officials. The footage showed burning wreckage and a close-up of identification marks including the figures AF-806 and insignia reading „Air Combat Command“. plane shot down in Yugoslavia during air strikes against military positions.
Serbian television shows footage of a U.S.
WASHINGTON Ma– An American F-117 stealth fighter went down in Yugoslavia Saturday night, the first allied loss in the four-day Balkan conflict, even as NATO officials announced a broad new phase of the air assault on Serbian targets.
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