Accord, which was signed in Paris on
December 14, 1995.
Alas, in 1998, hostilities erupted in
Kosovo and on January 30, 1999, NATO
stated it would take whatever steps
were necessary — including air strikes
— to compel Serbian compliance with
UN Security Resolution 1199. As NATO
assets were built up in the area, the
8th FS deployed 12 F-117s to Aviano,
Italy. When peace talks failed, the NATO
Supreme Allied Commander Europe
(SACEUR), Gen Wesley Clark, was
ordered to initiate air strikes against the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, signaling
the beginning of Operations ‘Allied
Force’ and ‘Noble Anvil’.
These attacks began on March 24,- However, significant political
interference in the way the air campaign
was fought, coupled with a series of
electronic countermeasures shortfalls
brought about by defense cuts, had dire
consequences for the F-117.
Lt Col Zoltan Dani was commander
of Serbia’s 3rd Battalion, 250th Air
Defense Missile Brigade, equipped
with S-125 Neva-M (SA-3 ‘Goa’) SAMs.
The redeployable system consisted of
a P-18 ‘Spoon Rest-D’ early warning
radar, utilizing frequencies in the VHF
A-band range of around 150MHz. This
radar was used to initially locate a
target in azimuth and range only. Once
acquired, the target was handed over
to operators of the ‘Low Blow’ missile
guidance radar system using the I-band
frequency range. ‘Low Blow’ then began
its own target acquisition, resolving
azimuth, range, elevation and velocity
based upon details supplied by ‘Spoon
Rest’. Once acquired, ‘Low Blow’ was set
to tracking mode, and at this point the
system was ready to launch a missile.
Having been fired, the missiles used
guidance commands transmitted via
radio datalink.
Aware of the looming conflict, Dani
knew his unit would be targeted by
allied F-16s and Tornados operating in
the SEAD role. He therefore trained it
rigorously, achieving a 90-minute total
equipment breakdown in readiness to
move off to another location. Mobility
would be his key to survival. For
additional insurance against High-
speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM)
attacks, he insisted that his unit restrict
operation of its high-frequency ‘Low
Blow’ radar for a maximum 20-second
burst before shutting down.
On March 24, 1999, Dani received
orders to move his battalion from Jakovo
and deploy to an area near Šimanovci,
west of Belgrade, where it would await
further instructions. Three days later,
on March 27, the unit was ordered to
go to alert status. It was allocated four
frequencies for the P-18 radar, to preventpotential interference with other
P-18 sites.
Meanwhile, Lt Col Dale Zelko of the
8th FS got airborne from Aviano in
F-117 serial 82-0806, callsign ‘Vega
31’. Part of an eight-ship first-strike
package, he was targeted to hit a
well-defended air defense node in
the southern suburbs of Belgrade.
The weather was reported as being
‘challenging’, forcing the cancellation of
other support/strike aircraft which —
critically — included HARM-toting F-16s
and Tornados. It’s also understood that
EA-6B Prowlers, scheduled to provide
an electronic countermeasures cloak,
were repositioned to cover a later B-2
Spirit strike.
Seated in front of the P-18’s radar
display, Dani received notification that
aircraft were in the air. He ordered the
P-18 to be activated, instructing his
technicians to use the lowest of the
four allocated VHF frequencies. AlmostAbove: Lt Col
Zoltan Dani
and his team
successfully
engaged and
shot down F-117
82-0806 flown by
Lt Col Dale Zelko
using the callsign
‘Vega 31’.
via Paul
Crickmore
Below: An F-117
taxiing to the
holding point
at Aviano, Italy,
prior to launching
against targets in
Serbia on the first
night of ‘Noble
Anvil’. USAFhttp://www.combataircraft.net // June 2018 59
52-63 Skunk Works F-117 C.indd 59 20/04/2018 16:11