F-117 Nighthawk Shot Down: The Last Stealth Aircraft Downed in Combat

젤코 중령의 F-117 나이트호크가 세르비아 상공에서 격추되어 전투에서 격추된 유일한 스텔스기가 되었습니다.

### 1999년 3월 27일, 밤호크 격추 사건
* ✈️ 1999년 3월 27일, F-117 **나이트호크**가 세르비아 상공을 비행 중 적의 대공 미사일 공격을 받았습니다.
* 💥 조종사인 대령 다렐 젤코는 베오그라드 세르비아 공군 사령부를 폭격하는 임무를 수행 중이었습니다.
* ⛈️ 악천후로 인해 호위하던 F-16 전투기들이 기지로 복귀하면서 젤코는 단독 작전을 수행하게 되었습니다.
* 🇷🇸 세르비아군 중령 졸탄 다니가 이끄는 대공 미사일 부대가 나이트호크를 탐지하여 발사했습니다.
* 💥 나이트호크는 폭탄 투하 순간, 레이더 반사 신호가 커지면서 적에게 위치가 노출되었고, 두 발의 미사일이 명중했습니다.
* 💥 젤코는 좌익이 파괴된 나이트호크에서 탈출했으며, 낙하산으로 착륙 후 구조대를 기다렸습니다.
* 🚁 미군 구조대는 젤코를 구출했고, 졸탄 다니와 그의 부대는 **스텔스 전투기를 격추한 유일한 부대**가 되었습니다.
* 🤝 2011년, 다니는 젤코를 만나 축하했습니다.  "격추 순간은 축구에서 결승골을 넣은 것처럼 기분이 좋았다"고 회고했습니다.

It's the 27th of March, 1999. An F-117 Nighthawk tears through the dark, stormy skies, low over the Serbian countryside.

The pilot is Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Zelko, and his mission is to bomb the command center of the Serbian Air Force in Belgrade.

It's the headquarters of the force that is going to try and stop him on his mission tonight.

Zelko is escorted by F-16 Vipers with missiles that can lock on and destroy enemy radar.

As he approaches the Serbian border, he hears a command come over the radio: "This is Joint Forces Air Component Commander."

Because of the bad weather, the escorting Vipers are ordered to immediately turn back and return to base.

He's on his own. If he is to make it home safely, he has to remain undetected.

A ghost. Fortunately, he is in the most advanced operational fighter bomber ever flown.

The Nighthawk's stealth capabilities make the 65-foot-long bomber appear on radar as if it were the size of a tennis ball, allowing it, so far, to go unchallenged in every mission.

That is, every mission until this one. On the ground, an anti-air missile battery is waiting for him.

It's under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zoltán Dani. Serbian spies have let him know that enemy aircraft are coming

and he thinks today is his best chance to take down one of the elusive ghosts. "Sweep the skies!"

Dani orders, and a P-18 early warning radar comes to life. "It's on." They think that at its lowest frequency, it may be capable of detecting the enemy planes,

"I don't see the target," but it also detects clouds and rain, resulting in a screen covered in false signals.

But, looking closely, Dani sees something: "I see it." One tiny dot moving through the masses of clouds,

a tiny dot headed right towards them. "The ghost is here." "Turn on the targeting radar."

"It's on." "We have 20 seconds." "I don't see the target." "Nothing."

"Keep looking." Zalco's Nighthawk speeds towards its objective; the computer is preparing the drop.

"Let's go again. Phi 1 is on. Phi 2 is on." Dani double-checks the low-frequency radar.

He can see the target. It's right in front of them. But he needs the SAM radar to get a lock.

"I don't see the target." The men scan the sky as instructed, "I don't see the target."

Yet, the screens remain dead. But then, Zelko opens his bomb bay, increasing the Nighthawk's radar signature,

just at the wrong moment. "I have it. I have it." "Phi 2 is tracking the target."

"Phi 1 is tracking the target." "Launch." Two missiles fire from the launcher in quick succession, streaking across the sky.

Zelko drops his bombs. They follow the path designated by the laser and explode. He soars past the target.

It's another mission success, and he ascends to 6 kilometers. But a few seconds later, his cockpit is filled with the wail of an urgent alarm, and his controls light up.

It's a lock alert. Almost simultaneously, he sees two missiles illuminate the clouds below him and then break through.

They're coming right at him! He immediately initiates evasive maneuvers. He pulls his aircraft up to try and escape.

He's pushed into his seat as he ascends, as the aircraft screams more warnings.

The F-117 has no chaff, so with the missile locked on, it's entirely dependent on the pilot's actions.

to try and evade the threat. Time slows. He knows: it's over… "They got me."

These are proximity missiles and should detonate near the aircraft. But, somehow, the first missile malfunctions and races past his canopy.

The second missile, though, doesn't malfunction. It explodes, sending out a cloud of sharp shrapnel that perforates the left wing of his Nighthawk.

The entire left side is blasted to pieces, illuminating the night sky a fiery orange. The aircraft immediately loses control and is thrown into a wild spin.

As the plane spins, Zelko is pinned to his seat and experiences severe G-forces.

The spin increases in violence. Flashing warnings illuminate his controls, and a bright flame shines through the cockpit windows as the landscape spins around him.

He knows he's in a critical situation. Even ejection might prove fatal, but it's his only choice.

He fights 7 Gs of force, 100 pounds pulling up on each of his arms. Fueled by adrenaline, he gets hold of the ejection handles and pulls.

In the blink of an eye, the canopy is blasted away, and his seat rockets out of the cockpit.

For almost two eternal seconds, Zelko free falls through the air, strapped to his chair.

He’s barely conscious and thinks that the seat is still inside the plane and that the ejection seat has malfunctioned.

But then, he feels the tug of the opening parachute, and sees his burning Nighthawk tumbling away into the night.

The violence of the spinning wreck is replaced by a total calm. Zelko breathes heavily as he takes it all in.

He's alive. But then another thought hits him. "Man, Mom is not going to be happy about this."

He knows the enemy will be searching for him. If he can't land unseen, he still needs to be rescued and get back home without further complications.

But then, he looks up. He notices his parachute is bright orange. He might as well be waving a flare.

With his hopes of going unseen dashed, he takes out his survival radio to report he's alive and well.

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Vega 31, Vega 31, going down.”

To his massive relief, the Mayday is heard. “Vega 31, Magic copies your Mayday. Last position?”

“Vega 31, last position in aircraft. Point after target.” Zelko sees a ditch from above.

He doesn't get to say much more before hitting the ground. He's now alone, deep behind enemy lines.

Zelko runs for the ditch he saw on the way down. He quickly paints himself with mud and tries to hide as he awaits rescue.

News of the downed plane quickly spreads. The Serbians waste no time and rapidly initiate a search.

All around him the activity gains momentum as more and more men appear. Men of the Serbian army comb the area, gradually joined by local policemen and civilians as the news spreads.

Everybody wants to find him. Flashlights illuminate the fields and trucks roll past on the nearby highway.

Zelko can do nothing but sit and pray. Then, he hears a rustle in the undergrowth getting louder.

Just outside his ditch, someone is searching. He stays still and quiet like a rock, quieting his breath.

He hears panting and snuffling. It's a dog. Slowly and carefully, Zelko pulls out his knife.

The dog gets closer. He weighs his options. Should he kill the dog? If he did, could he do it silently?

He finally makes up his mind to spare the dog, reasoning that if he did kill it, the owner would be quick to follow.

Then, to Zelko's massive relief, the dog turns, jumps up, and leaves.

The radio crackles to life. "Sandy 01, Vega 31, over." Zelko's eyes go wide.

They're here! "He can be there; go with me." "Go ahead, Sandy 01, over."

"Vega 31, is it okay to come down there?" Zelko doesn't respond.

He peeks out of his hiding spot, searching the area for threats. Flashlights shine in the distance.

"He may be armed; be careful." "Vega 31, if you don't answer, we're going to try this later."

He makes his decision. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go for it." Zelko turns on his infrared strobe as a chopper races into the area.

But the strobe fails, and the helicopter can't see him. He curses his luck and desperately checks for threats.

He has a backup, but it's nowhere near as subtle. But it's now or never. Zelko makes a quick decision.

And pops a flare. Bright light spills all around him and illuminates the area, pointing out his position for the rescue helicopter and the enemy alike.

"There he is!" The helicopter sweeps in rapidly, as the enemy also closes in, at the same time, in the distance.

Flashlights from enemy patrols are all pointed towards the flare. But then, another transmission comes through the radio.

"Snuff your flare; it blinds our night vision." Thinking quickly, Zelko rushes to take the flare and dunk it in the mud,

just as the rescue helicopter comes in to land, right in front of him. And he is greeted by an American rescue team.

"How are you feeling, sir?" "Great! Now let's get out of here!" The field is blasted with wind as the helicopter rises up into the air and exits the scene.

With just seconds to spare before the enemy spills over the landing site, Zoltán Dani and his crew to this day remain the only team to have downed a stealth aircraft in combat.

When talking about the incident, Dani later said, "When it hit, it felt very good. Like scoring the winning goal in a football match."

The US didn't destroy the wreck, and the Serbian forces salvaged the mortally wounded Nighthawk unimpeded.

And today, you can still see pieces of Dani's aircraft in the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade.

Dani always expressed a desire to find the man who shot him down and congratulate him. He finally got his wish in 2011, just 12 years after the incident.

"The end of the 20th century was packed with unforgettable military stories. Here's another one — what many call the last tank battle of the century."

How a Nighthawk Was Shot Down

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F-117 나이트호크의 폭격 임무 및 격추

1999년 3월 27일, F-117 나이트호크가 세르비아 상공을 비행 중

조종사 젤코 중령은 벨그라드 세르비아 공군 사령부 폭격 임무 수행

F-16 전투기 호위, 악천후로 인해 호위기 귀환 명령

나이트호크의 스텔스 기능에도 불구하고, 지상의 대공 미사일 배터리에 탐지됨

세르비아군 다니 중령 지휘하에 미사일 발사 준비

나이트호크 격추 및 조종사 탈출

나이트호크 조종석에 긴급 경고, 미사일 직격

회피 기동 시도, 미사일 폭발로 좌익 손상

구조대 도착, 신호 장비 오작동

조명탄 사용 후 신속히 진흙에 묻어 시야 확보

다니 중령의 소감 및 격추 경위

벨그라드 항공 박물관에 전시된 나이트호크 잔해

2011년 젤코 중령과 다니 중령의 만남