Revisiting the Lessons of Operation Allied Force
A Serbian S-125 / SA-3 Goa battery killed an F-117A Nighthawk early in the OAF air campaign. Complacency was clearly the single biggest contributor to this unprecedented combat loss. A second F-117A suffered damage from a near miss SA-3 shot.
Air Power Australia Analysis 2009-04
14th June, 2009
A Paper by Martin Andrew, BA(hons), MA, PhD, RAAF(Retd)
Text © 2009 Martin Andrew
The Successful Serbian Strategy of Withholding Military Force
he strategy of withholding military force is different to a holding action, as it is an asymmetric strategy for a weaker force to withstand attacks upon its centre of gravity, was developed by the Communist Chinese to nullify the overwhelming air supremacy that the United States and its allies held in Korea. By withholding forces from action, in the event of attacks by superior forces, it can absorb more punishment than otherwise, which Mao referred to as ‘the breaking of pots and pans’.
The strategy is particularly important in the context of air power, as by hiding resources and deliberately withholding them from action, the forces trying to locate them cannot destroy them. An air campaign can then become one of virtual attrition to the detriment of the aggressor, due to the wearing out of men and machines, for very little gain. Morale and public opinion aspects also come into play when there appears to be little or no results for the resources expended.
A defending ground force needs to be forced to expose itself, thus allowing it to be attacked by air power. One option is to stage an attack that is designed to compel a defending force to react. An example could be the insertion of forces by air to embarrass the leadership into defending more areas. To enable air power to hunt down and then destroy targets requires robust Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems and Precision Guided Munitions (PGM). Terrain masking and deception measures by small forces in complex terrain, such as hilly and/or jungle terrain, as occurred in Kosovo and in the various conflicts in Southeast Asia, often negate the use of most ISR systems, presenting difficulties in locating and positively identifying targets. The locating, tracking and targeting of difficult to find targets often require quantities and technological capabilities of equipment beyond a country’s material resources.
The aim of the OAF campaign was to force Serbian forces to stop attacks upon ethnic Albanians and leave Kosovo through the coercive application of air power alone. Air power was to be used, exclusively, to reduce casualties on the NATO side, which made life for the Serbian forces in Kosovo easier as there were no ground troops to worry about. By employing the strategy of withholding military force the Serbs avoided having their air defence and field units being destroyed in the first days of the air campaign. They had absorbed the lessons of Operation Desert Storm, and preserved their assets for the long haul, which was a successful strategy as Serb forces were still firing Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM) on the last day of Operation Allied Force.[1] Employing passive systems such as electro-optical tracking equipment further enhanced the survivability of IADS components, by not creating an emission signature that NATO defence suppression aircraft could lock on to. [2]
Problems and Issues Surrounding the Use of PGMs
Bad weather and the rigid insistence on avoiding collateral damage and casualties to the attack force dogged NATO planners. This led to an over-reliance on Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs). In the first three weeks of ‘Allied Force’ there were only seven days of ‘favourable weather’ for air operations and ten days on which 50 percent of the strikes had to be cancelled due to the fear of collateral damage.[3] Ninety percent of the ordnance dropped were PGMs which also had their own problems. Global Positioning System (GPS) aided munitions, the only affordable all-weather munitions, can be inaccurate due to the cumulative effect of numerous GPS errors, as well as small inaccuracies in the targeting aircraft, maps and the munition itself. This is called the ‘sensor-to-shooter error budget’ in United States parlance.[4] Further, the amount of cloud over Kosovo caused many laser-guided bombs (LGBs) to ‘lose lock’ and ‘go rogue’ often landing kilometres away from their intended target.[5]
The reliance on GPS guided bombs caused a shortage that became so acute in late April that the GPS guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) were available for only the B-2A Spirit bomber.[6] By late April the ratio of PGMs to unguided munitions used had dropped to 69 percent.[7] Many of the targets struck by PGMs in Kosovo were not judged to be worth the then $US12,000 cost of the Paveway II LGB kits, and could have been hit safely by unguided ordnance.[8] The fire control avionics fitted to most NATO aircraft enabled very accurate bombing using ‘dumb’ bombs, albeit with a necessary reduction in bombing altitude.
Serbian ground forces were hard to locate due to their small unit size and movement, generally being company sized units of between 80 to 150 personnel, and around six armoured vehicles, operating autonomously or semi-autonomously of each other. Using the woods and mountains, and by not being a large target or moving in a set direction, did not allow an intelligence picture to be easily built up, and thus made these forces difficult to locate from the air.[9]
NATO's insistence upon avoiding collateral damage at all costs by using precision guided munitions, and the Serbian operational doctrine of hiding their forces, impacted the outcome. The resulting effect of these two strategies was ‘virtual attrition’, through the cost of the munitions expended and the accrued wear and tear on the aircraft employed.
The air campaign over Kosovo severely affected the readiness rates of the United States Air Force’s Air Combat Command during that period. Units in the United States were the most badly affected, as they were were stripped of their personnel and spare parts to support ACC (Air Combat Command) and AMC (Air Mobility Command) units involved in Operation Allied Force. The Commander of the USAF’s Air Combat Command, General Richard E Hawley, outlined this in a speech to reporters on 29 April, 1999.[10] Further, many aircraft will have to be replaced earlier than previously planned, as their planned fatigue life was prematurely expended. PGM inventories needed to be re-stocked, the warstock of the AGM-86C Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile dropping to 100 or fewer rounds.[11] Of the more than 25,000 bombs and missiles expended, nearly 8,500 were PGMs, with the replacement cost estimated at $US1.3 billion.[12] Thus the USAF suffered from virtual attrition of its air force without having scored a large number of kills in theatre.
Even if the United States' best estimates of Serbian casualties are used, the Serbians left Kosovo with a large part of their armoured forces intact.Serbia operated a wide range of former Soviet and indigenous point defence weapons, which presented genuine risks to NATO aircraft loitering at low altitudes. This forced bombing from higher altitudes, which drove up the demand for PGM warstocks, and imposed severe weather restrictions.
The Yugoslav Army operated a small number of Soviet supplied 9K35 Strela 10 / SA-13 Gopher heatseeking SAM systems, carried on an indigenous chassis rather than the Soviet supplied MT-LB chassis. The indigenous S-10MJ Sava variant is carried on a fully amphibious chassis.
The Soviets supplied no less than 113 9K33 / SA-9 Gaskin heatseeking missile systems to Yugoslavia.
The Serbian forces in Kosovo were well equipped with licence built legacy Soviet 9K32M / SA-7B Grail MANPADS, and a small number of Kazakh supplied 9K310 Igla-1 / SA-16 MANPADS. The depicted SA-7B rounds were confiscated and destroyed. The total MANPADS inventory was cited at ~850 rounds (US DoD).
The Serbians improvised two point defence weapons, based on the Soviet supplied R-60 / AA-8 Aphid (below) and R-73 / AA-11 Archer (above) air to air missiles. The RL-4M used a single Archer, the RL-2M a pair of Aphids. Both designs used the Praga M53/59 SPAAG vehicle and neither appear to have been used with any operational effect. According to JMR, the designs were produced by the VTI (Vojno-Tehnicki Institut = Military Technical Institute) and VTO (Vazduhoplovno-Opitni Centar = Air Force Testing Centre).
In addition to the ubiquitous Soviet S-60 57 mm AAA gun, the Yugoslav Army operated fifty four Soviet supplied ZSU-57-2 SPAAGs in 1999. In total Servia deployed around 1850 AAA pieces (US DoD).
Successful Deception Measures
Sun Tzu wrote that all warfare is based on deception and Serbian deception measures were very successful. Decoys were a real problem for strike aircraft, as loitering over an area at low altitudes made them targets for MANPADS, infrared guided point defence SAMs such as the SA-9 Gaskin and SA-13 Gopher, and SPAAGs such as the ZSU-23-4P, BOV-3/30 series and the Praga M53/59.
At least 16 decoys were hit that were thought to be real targets, and a further nine decoys were also deliberately hit, so pilots would not loiter over them trying to discriminate between them and real targets.[13] They also used up valuable airframe hours, and the incurred attendant increased logistical costs. Air forces have not always had invested sufficiently in sensors to counter deception and camouflage techniques, which the Serbs exploited quite successfully. This was noted quite early in the post ‘Allied Force’ after-action study.[14]
NATO flew approximately 3,000 sorties over Kosovo, and just under 2,000 of these saw ordnance expended.[15] These sorties were claimed at the time to have destroyed 93 tanks and 153 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) out of the approximately 350 tanks and 440 APCs believed to have been in Kosovo.[16] NATO also claimed to have hit 339 military vehicles and 389 artillery pieces and mortars. [17] These figures were widely off the mark as General Clark, the Operation Allied Force commander, conceded that not all targets hit were destroyed, and
that only 26 tanks could be confirmed as kills.[18]
Serbia operated a mix of obsolescent and often time-expired Soviet era S-75 / SA-2 Guideline, S-125 / SA-3 Goa and 2K12 / SA-6B Gainful area defence SAMs for the protection of critical infrastructure and fielded military forces. While these SAM systems did not inflict high losses on NATO aircraft, with a reported 665 SAM rounds fired for two verified kills, the inability of NATO to inflict decisive attrition upon the IADS resulted in ongoing high operational costs due to the need to keep EA-6B Prowler, RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, Tornado ECR and F-16CJ Weasels airborne during any significant operations over the territory of the rump FRY.
By far the most survivable of all Yugoslav SAM systems, only three of the twenty two 2K12 Kvadrat / SA-6B Gainful SAM 1S91 Straight Flush radars were destroyed by NATO forces. With a genuine 5 minute shoot-and-scoot capability, the twenty two batteries of Kvadrat systems were able to evade NATO Tornado ECR and F-16CJ aircraft very successfully (Image © Miroslav Gyűrösi).
The primary SAM system in the Yugoslav IADS was the semi-mobile Soviet supplied S-125 Neva / SA-3 Goa, some of which were subjected to upgrades prior to OAF, involving a thermal imager and laser rangefinder on the SNR-125 Low Blow. Fourteen batteries were in operation at the beginning of OAF. An S-125 battery successfully downed an F-117A Nighthawk early in the campaign, and damaged another. Operated from fixed sites, 80 percent of the S-125s were claimed destroyed [additional imagery here] (Image © Miroslav Gyűrösi).
Serbia is claimed to have modified a number of its legacy Soviet supplied S-75 Dvina / SA-2 Guideline SAM systems. Like the SA-3 Goa, the three SA-2 Guideline batteries were operated primarily from static sites and suffered losses to around 2/3 of the force (US DoD).
At a Russian airshow subsequent to OAF, a Russian senior engineer complained to a visiting US analyst, that Russian digital upgrades covertly installed in some of the P-18 Spoon Rest radars operated by Serbia were subsequently sold to China (image © Miroslav Gyűrösi).
Fixed Air Defences Crippled But Mobile Air Defences Survived
NATO air planners were certainly concerned that not as many Serbian SAM batteries were destroyed, as they would have liked, with the then commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) acknowledging the success of Serbian SAM battery shoot-and-scoot operational tactics.[19] Mobile systems suffered few casualties but the fixed defences were smashed. Two of Serbia’s three static S-75 Dvina / SA-2 Guideline SAM battalions and 70 percent of their static S-125 Neva / SA-3 Goa SAM sites were destroyed as compared with only three of their 22 mobile 9M9 Kvadrat / SA-6 Gainful SAM systems.[20]
Serbia certainly left Kosovo, and suffered a tremendous amount of damage to its infrastructure in Serbia,
yet in the face of an air campaign that at the end numbered over 1,000 aircraft, Serbian combat power remained substantially intact. The number of sorties generated by the NATO forces, particularly the United States Air Force, left them short of spare parts and munitions, required increased maintenance, and a force reduced in effective size due to the decreased fatigue life of many aircraft.
This virtual attrition, with little relative destruction of the opposing forces, has shown that the Serbian military strategy was successful, even if the Milosovic regime did not achieve its political objectives. Conclusion
The strategy of withholding military force in Kosovo was a military success, even if it did not prevent a political failure. Serbia retained its ground combat strength, in the face of overwhelming air power, and the Kosovo Liberation Army was disarmed as part of the political settlement.
The first key lesson the campaign produced, was that an opposing ground force must be driven out from cover, to induce the concentration of force required to facilitate efficient targeting and destruction by firepower.
The need to keep NATO casualties to an absolute minimum was the reason for the decision not to deploy ground forces, but as shown earlier in this paper, this reduced the effectiveness of the air campaign. The Serbian forces used their freedom of movement to maximum advantage.
The second key lesson of the war was the effectiveness of the passive air defence measures, especially mobility and decoys, on the air campaign itself. A NATO squadron commander, who reviewed the original 1999 version of this paper, said the paper should emphasise decoys more as they were a huge problem during the campaign. This was explored in the second section of the paper, but the discussion was limited by the open source material available at that time.
www.ausairpower.net/APA-2009-04.html"A military alliance of 19 nations and 780 million people; with over half of the world's gross economic product, possessing two-thirds of the global military power, ganged up on a tiny nation of 10 million. For 78 days, NATO terrorized the people of Serbia, dropping 23,000 bombs and missiles on them in 36,000 sorties. Yet the Serbs remained unbowed and uncowed. This is not hearsay. I saw their defiance with my own eyes during the six days I had spent under NATO's bombardment."
(An excerpt from Bob Djurdjevic's global speaking tour, Fall/Winter 1999)
1. 24.03. 20:20 Mt. Cicavica
2. 20:35 near Titel NATO plane that was hit with an air to air missile fired by MiG-29 pilot Nebojsa Nikolic. Airplane crashed several minutes later
3. 20:18 Mt. Jastrebac German Tornado
4. near Lazarevac One NATO aircraft hit with an AA missile fired by a pilot Slobodan Peric. Further destiny of the plane is not known
5. 21:30 Kosovo
6. 25.03. 0:30 Adriatic sea According to Greek military sources, there were two registered "MAYDAY" calls from NATO aircraft
7.
8. 1:00 airfield Rajlovac, Sarajevo Emergency landing of one F-15 spewing thick, white smoke
9. 23:00 2 F/A-18 Hornets that crashed 11km south of Ruma. According to reports, at least one was Canadian
10. 23:10
11. 23:30 area between Pristina and Podujevo
12. around 23:30 Mt. Fruska Gora One aircraft shot down (according to reports, F-117A) who's pilot ejected and was captured in the village Krusedol. He was then taken to the nearest police station
13. Mt. Fruska Gora One German Tornado shot down. Crew ejected. Pilot, male was killed while the female navigator was captured in the village Remeta and taken to the same police station as the pilot from the alleged F-117
14. 26.03. 17:20 village Donja Trnova, 15km southwest of Bijeljina, Republic of Srpska American F-15E. Crew was killed. The plane was shot down by a MiG-21.
15. 27.03. around 1:00 Mt. Maljen German Tornado. Crew ejected and landed in the vicinity of the village Konjevici, near Cacak, where they were captured
16. near Pec
17. around 3:00 area between Vrutak and Kremna, near Uzice
18. around 3:20 area between Vrutak and Kremna, near Uzice SFOR helicopter with 22 soldiers on board. After a short gunfight with the Yugoslav infantry unit, helicopter was destroyed by Strela-1M mobile SAM. No survivors.
19. north of Sombor One NATO airplane hit. No further information
20. before morning Ion sea According to Greek military sources, there were three registered "MAYDAY" messages. One from Dutch F-16, one from American F-15 and a third from one French aircraft (probably Mirage 2000)
21.
22.
23. 15:50 Djeneral Jankovic, near Macedonian border Canadian F/A-18 Hornet. Plane crashed on the Macedonian territory
24. around 17:00 near Budjanovci
25. 20:55 Budjanovci F-117A, serial number HO AF 82/806. Pilot Cpt. Ken 'Wiz' Dwelle was rescued, according to NATO. Aircraft shot down by Col. Gvozden Djukic's air defense unit
26. 22:30 Macedonian border Rescue helicopter shot down
27. 28.03. 2:50 Zabrdje, near Bijeljina Most probably an American F-15. Pilot was killed. Some sources say that it was in fact an F-117!
28. 3:00 near Bijeljina SFOR helicopter HH-60 Pave Hawk with 12 soldiers on board. Only two crew members survived
29. Loznica region Pilot ejected
30. 3:00 Gornji Milanovac Pilot ejected and captured shortly after
31. 16:00 Bijeljina Aircraft hit over Yugoslavia crashed in Bosnia.
32. 22:30 Macedonian border Rescue helicopter shot down
33. 23:50 Pristina Pilot killed
34. 23:55 Mt. Pastrik, near Prizrena Aircraft crashed in Macedonia
35. 29.03. 3:00 village Gakovo, near Sombor Pilot ejected and reportedly escaped to Hungary
36. 1:30 village Stojna, 14km from Pale, Republic of Srpska Some sources say that it was either F-15 or F-16, American. Pilot ejected but found dead later on. His neck was broken
37. 30.03. around 1:00 near Virpazar British Harrier. Pilot ejected but was soon captured
38. around 1:00 near Virpazar With the second missile, one aircraft that was in Harrier's escort was hit. Most probably an American F-16 that was hit over Montenegro. His pilot turned the airplane back to Italy but flying above the Adriatic, lost altitude and crashed near several NATO vessels. The pilot was picked up by a French rescue unit
39. 2:30 Mt. Cer Aircraft hit over Cer mountain crashed in Bosnia. According to the reports, it was a German Tornado. Crew ejected
40. 8:00 Surcin
41. 16:30 near Vranje According to reports, Tornado aircraft. Crew ejected and landed in the area between two villages, on the road to Kriva Feja
42. 23:30 Prizren Airplane crashed on Mt. Sara (Sar planina). According to information, it was a British Tornado. Crew ejected and landed onto a KLA controlled territory. They were escorted by the KLA to the Albanian border and handed to NATO representatives
43. before midnight Obla Glava, near Aleksinac UAV
44. 31.03. evening near Gnjilane F-117 crashed in Macedonia after being hit
45. 18:00 Rescue helicopter with 20 commandos on board
46. Sirig, north of Novi Sad German Tornado. Crew ejected and captured shortly after that
47. 22:30 Mt. Tara
48. 22:45 Mt. Tara NATO rescue helicopter CH-53 with 25 commandos. Helicopter shot down by Strela-2M portable SAM. No survivors
49. 01.04. 1:00 Mt. Tara NATO (possibly SFOR) helicopter CH-53 Stallion with 25 crew members. Helicopter shot dwon by Strela-2M portable SAM. No survivors
50. 3:05 airfield Pleso, Zagreb Crash-landing of one damaged F-117A
51. 7:00 Kosovo Aircraft hit over Kosovo crashed into suburban area of Skopje
52. 03.04. 19:30 Banja Luka region One F-16 seen over the town spewing thick, black smoke
53. 19:45 Novi Sad Aircraft damaged during the attack on Novi Sad's bridge "Most Slobode". Airplane crashed near Stara Pazova. Pilot captured
54. 04.04. before midnight near Uzice One NATO aircraft damaged (most probably F/A-18 Hornet). Aircraft dropped two full fuel tanks and immediately after that, touched with one of its wings a power line. It is not known whether the plane crashed or not
55. 05.04. 2:20 Obrenovac
56. 3:03 Zlatibor
57. evening between Dolovo and Banatsko Novo Selo, near Pancevo Aircraft downed by Lt.Col. Zoran Damnjanovic's air defense unit. There are some indications that another plane was shot down as well
58. 21:00 Mt. Fruska Gora One NATO plane downed. Pilot ejected near 'Pobeda' factory and was soon captured. Most likely F-117A
59. 20:00 Novi Sad During the attack on Novi Sad's "Zezelj" bridge, one German Tornado was shot down. Crew ejected and was captured shortly after
60. 06.04. 2:30 Aleksinac Dutch F-16
61. 4:20 Mt. Fruska Gora During the attack on Crveni Cot TV tower, one plane was downed. Pilot ejected and landed in the vicinity of village Remete. There is information suggesting that it was an F-117
62. after midnight Pristina NATO plane was hit while over the town. Aircraft crashed on Mt. Sara, near Skopje
63. 5:00 south of Fruska Gora Two NATO rescue helicopters with soldiers on board
64.
65. after midnight village Svinjare, near Kosovska Mitrovica
66. 11:10 Mt. Skopska Crna Gora Two NATO SAR helicopters with 40 commandos on board. No survivors
67.
68. after midnight Yugoslav-Albanian border (Montenegro) NATO helicopter with 20 soldiers and one rescued pilot on board. No survivors
69. around 22:00 Hill Zabucje, Uzice One aircraft hit and damaged
70. 23:30 Vozdovac, Belgrade Dogfight between Yugoslav Mig-21 and US F-15. F-15 crashed near Avala mountain. Confirmed by an eyewitness
71. 07.04. 0:00 near Pristina One NATO aircraft hit which headed in flames toward Macedonia. Near Skopska Crna Gora, one plane was seen in flames and after that, a powerful explosion was heard with a huge blast. It is assumed that the aircraft crashed
72. 2:00 Podgorica French Mirage 2000. Missile missed but pilot ejected anyway
73. 22:30 Kosovo Airplane hit over Kosovo crashed near Skopje
74. before midnight near Pristina American UAV Hunter shot down by Lt.Col. Brajan Vukicevic's air defense unit
75. before midnight Ljig
76. before midnight near Novi Sad Belgian F-16B. 42 year old pilot and 28 years old female co-pilot captured. Plane was shot down by Aleksandar Sunjka with 20mm AAA
77. 08.04. after midnight near Nis German Tornado. Crew captured
78. 12:40 Kosovo Aircraft crashed near Skopje
79. 09.04. 23:30 Ivanovo, near Belgrade
80. 10.04. 2:00 Batajnica NATO rescue helicopter shot down ad crashed into Danube
81. 15:45 Suva Reka region Crashed near Kumanovo
82. before midnight near Nis
83. 11.04. 0:12 Backi Brestovac, near Crvenka German. Most probably Tornado
84. 1:00 between Sombor and Odzaci An unidentified NATO aircraft was shot down by two radar-guided Kub SAMs * (may be the same as the above entry)
85. 11:20 Kosovo NATO aircraft shot down by Major Stojan Simijonovic's air defense unit. Plane crashed in Macedonia
86. 12.04. 0:21 between Belgrade and Pancevo
87. 21:30 village Osmaci, near Tuzla British Sea Harrier. Pilot killed. Aircraft was hit over Zrenjanin, where it jettisoned its fuel tanks
88. before midnight Kosovo German UAV CL-289
89. 13.04. after midnight near Batajnica airfield
90. after midnight Jabuka, north of Pancevo
91. 1:00 Olujci
92. after midnight near Srbinje (ex Foca), Bosnia Pilot killed
93. after midnight village Kadijina Cesma, near Tuzla
94. after midnight Bela Crkva, near Vrsac Probably Harrier
95. 23:00 Jabuka road, Pancevo
96. 14.04. after midnight Kosovo Polje German UAV CL-289
97. 0:10 Priboj
98. morning Kosovo German UAV CL-289
99. after midnight Yugoslav-Romanian border Two fuel tanks and several other F-15 parts found. No further information
100. 9:00 Crashed in Lopare, near Tuzla
101. 10:00* Sirig, north of Novi Sad Aircraft crashed near Kamendin agronomic well. Pilot ejected and captured
102. 10:05* near Belgrade
103. 11:50 Crashed near Mesaric
104. 12:00 Debrca, Vladimirci district
105. 15.04. 0:00 Krusevac F-16
106. 1:42 Dobovac, near Uzice
107. 1:45 Avala mountain, south of Belgrade Confirmed by an eyewitness
108. 1:59 Dobovac, near Uzice
109. 2:00 Kula
110. 2:00 near Priboj
111. 3:00 Mt. Bjelasnica, Bosnia
112. 12:43 Vladimirci, near Sabac
113. 19:30 Podgorica Tornado. Airplane shot down by Lt. Zdravko Bankovic, with L70 Bofors. Aircraft crashed into Lake Skadar. According to some other info, plane was shot own by Lt. Goran Ratkovic
114. 19:35 Podgorica French Mirage 2000. Airplane shot down by Lt. Zdravko Bankovic, with L70 Bofors. Plane crashed on Rumija mountain. Pilot ejected and captured shortly after. According to some other info, plane was shot own by Lt. Goran Ratkovic
115. 19:45 near Podgorica One NATO aircraft shot down by soldier Predrag Dzonic with Strela-2M portable SAM. Pilot ejected and landed in the village of Kruse where he was captured
116. 23:30 airfield Petrovec, Skopje Crash-landing of one heavily damaged A-10. Plane was hit with two portable SAMs
117. 16.04. 17:30 southern Kosovo A-10 shot down by soldier Dragan Petrovic with portable SAM. Plane crashed on Macedonian territory, near the border post Debelde
118. 19:51 Podgorica Tornado
119. 22:45 New Belgrade (Novi Beograd)
120. 23:11 Pancevo
121. 23:15 Podgorica French Mirage 2000
122. 17.04. 3:17 Mt. Skopska Crna Gora, Macedonia British Sea Harrier
123. 11:00 Milosev Do, near Prijepolja Probably British Sea Harrier
124. 14:30 Urosevac Airplane crashed 4 km into Macedonian territory, near the village Tanusevci. Pilot killed
125. 17:08 Bogatic One Tornado crashed on Fruska Gora mountain
126. 22:10 Cerevic, Fruska Gora Several structural parts of Tornado aircraft were found. Plane was hit and damaged and headed in flames, while spewing thick, black smoke toward Croatian airspace, where it probably crashed
127. 22:10 Loznica Aircraft hit with two missiles crashed in Bosnia
128. 23:30 near Valjevo One aircraft hit with Strela-2M portable SAM. Immediately after that, plane jettisoned its fuel tanks and headed for Ljubovija. Several minutes later, a powerful explosion was heard. Aircraft crashed near Bratunac, Bosnia. Crash confirmed by Yugoslav border patrol and local villagers
129. 18.04. 0:50 Mountain Skopska Crna Gora, Macedonia One US A-10 crashed after being hit over Kosovo
130. 0:51 airfield Petrovec, Skopje Crash landing of one heavily damaged A-10 Thunderbolt II
131. 0:55 Kosovska Mitrovica
132. 2:00 Pristina UAV
133. around 3:00 Mt. Povlen One Tornado was damaged. Aircraft headed toward Sarajevo airfield but crashed in the village Crvica, near Skelani, in the Republic of Srpska
134. 16:10 Mt. Cicevica, near Pristina Blew up while airborne. Most probably an F-16
135. 16:15 Mt. Cicevica, near Pristina Blew up while airborne
136. 19:00 near Pristina Plane crashed on Mt. Cicavica
137. before midnight near Tuzla American UAV Predator
138. 22:30 Jelovski Kamen, near Tetovo Tornado
139. 23:00 airfield Rajlovac, Sarajevo Crash-landing of one Danish F-16. Plane was damaged by a SAM
140. 19.04. after midnight village Jegunovce, near Tetovo German UAV CL-289
141. 10:30 Tetovo, Macedonia Tornado
142. 14:01 Kumanovo, Macedonia
143. Smederevo During the attack on the bridge in Smederevo, one aircraft shot down by a SAM
144. 23:00 Mt. Veliki Jastrebac
145. 23:30 Mt. Veliki Jastrebac NATO helicopter with rescue troops
146. 23:15 Urosevac
147. 20.04. 2:30 Mt. Rudnik, Topola
148. 3:15 Mt. Rudnik, village Cumic
149. 19:00 Gornje Stanovce, near Vucitrn UAV
150. 23:00 near Vranje
151. 23:30 Mt. Jastrebac Rescue helicopter
152. 23:50 near Beocin Two F-15 fuel tanks found filled with bullet holes. Aircraft crashed in the area between Vukovar and Osijek
153. 21.04. 16:00 Mt. Fruska Gora One NATO plane damaged. Several parts were found. Aircraft crashed in Croatia
154. 23:40 Vozdovac, Belgrade Hit with several 30mm AAA Praga rounds. Crashed into Lipovica forrest (Lipovacka suma) Confirmed by an eyewitness
155. 22.04. 0:43 Orlovaca Rescue helicopter
156. 1:20 Lipovica, near Belgrade Rescue helicopter. Crew killed, helicopter captured
157. Sonta, near Apatin American UAV Predator
158. 18:00 Kursumlija Wreckage found in town's vicinity
159. 18:05 Kursumlija Wreckage found in Lebane region
160. 23.04. 2:28 Makis, Belgrade
161. 4:20 area between Surcin and Jakovo
162. 4:40 Lipovica, near Belgrade Rescue helicopter
163. 15:00 near Pristina One NATO plane damaged. Several parts were found on the scene. While spewing thick, white smoke, aircraft headed for Albania where it most probably crashed.
DAY | LOCATION | Type of aircraft |
1. | 24.03 | <small>mountain Cicavica</small> | |
2. | <small>Jastrebac (mountain)</small> | <small>German Tornado</small> |
3. | 25.03 | <small>Kosovo</small> | |
| <small>one damage plane arrived in Sarajevo</small> | USAF F-15 |
4. | 26.03 | <small>Cacak (18:17)</small> | |
5. | <small>Cacak</small> | |
6. | <small>Pec</small> | <small>UAV</small> |
7. | 27.03 | <small>village Budjenovci</small> | USAF F-117 |
8. | <small>Cacak</small> | |
9. | <small>border of Macedonia</small> | |
10. | <small>mountain Zlatibor</small> | <small>helicopter with 22 soldiers</small> |
11. | 28.03 | <small>Majevica (mountain) Bosnia</small> | |
12. | <small>Majevica (mountain) Bosnia</small> | <small>helicopter with 12 soldiers</small> |
13. | <small>Loznica</small> | |
14. | <small>Gornji Milanovac</small> | |
15. | <small>Kosovo</small> | <small>F-16</small> |
16. | 29.03 | <small>Pale (Republic of Srpska)</small> | |
17. | <small>Podgorica</small> | <small>Harrier</small> |
18. | <small>Kriva Feja near Vranje</small> | <small><small>pilot captured after 6 days of hiding 20 km from crash</small></small> |
19. | 30.03 | <small>Aleksinac</small> | UAV |
20. | <small>Sombor</small> | |
21. | 31.03 | <small>mountain Tara</small> | |
22. | <small>mountain Tara</small> | <small>rescue helicopter</small> |
23. | <small>mountain Tara</small> | <small>rescue helicopter</small> |
24. | 04.04 | <small>Vojvodina</small> | |
25. | 05.04 | <small>Kosovska Mitrovica</small> | |
26. | <small>Tetovo (Macedonia)</small> | <small>helicopter</small> |
27. | <small>Albania</small> | <small>helicopter</small> |
28. | <small>mountain Fruska Gora</small> | |
29. | <small>south of mountain Fruska Gora</small> | <small>rescue helicopter</small> |
30. | <small>south of mountain Fruska Gora</small> | <small>rescue helicopter</small> |
31. | 05.04 | <small>Vucitrn (Kosovo)</small> | |
32. | 07.04 | <small>Kosovo</small> | American UAV (Hunter) |
33. | <small>Ljig</small> | |
34. | 08.04 | <small>near Nis</small> | <small>German Tornado, pilot captured</small> |
35. | <small>Kraljevo</small> | |
36. | 10.04 | <small>near Nis</small> | |
37. | <small>Kosovo</small> | |
38. | 11.04 | <small>near Sombor (Backi Bresovac)</small> | <small>F-16</small> |
39. | 12.04 | <small>near Tuzla airport (Bosna)</small> | RAF Harrier, pilot KIA |
40. | <small>Kosovo</small> | <small>German UAV (CL-289)</small> |
41. | 13.04 | <small>Batajnica near Belgrade</small> | |
42. | <small>mountain Majevica</small> | |
43. | <small>mountain Majevica</small> | |
44. | <small>Bela Crkva (Vojvodina)</small> | |
45. | <small>Jabuka village near Pancevo</small> | |
46. | 14.04 | <small>near Pristina</small> | two German UAV (CL-289) |
47. | <small>Kosovo polje</small> |
48. | 15.04 | <small>Vojvodina</small> | |
49. | <small>Priboj</small> | |
50. | <small>mountain Bijelasnica</small> | |
51. | 16.04 | <small>Danilovgrad (Montenegro)</small> | <small>pilot captured</small> |
52. | <small>Skadar lake, Yugoslav-Albanian border</small> | <small>USAF Harrier</small> |
53. | <small>south of Podgorica</small> | <small>French Mirage 2000</small> |
| <small>damage NATO aircraft arrived at Skoplje</small> | <small>USAF A-10 "Tank-killer"</small> |
54. | 17.04 | <small>Prepolje, Milosev Do (11.00h)</small> | <small>RAF aircraft (?)</small> |
55. | <small>Urosevac (14.30h)</small> | |
56. | <small>Fruska Gora (22.10h)</small> | |
57. | 18.04 | <small>Kosovo (16.00h)</small> | |
58. | <small>Kosovo (16:00h)</small> | |
59. | <small>mountain Cicevica (19:00)</small> | |
60. | 19.04 | <small>Macedonia, 2 km from border with Yugoslavia</small> | |
| <small>damage NATO aircraft arrived at Sarajevo airport Rajlovac</small> | <small>RAF Harrier</small> |
61. | 20.04 | <small>mountain Jastrebac</small> | |
62. | <small>mountain Jastrebac</small> | <small>rescue helicopter (?)</small> |
63. | <small>Tetovo, Macedonia (12:30)</small> | <small>German UAV (CL-289)</small> |
64. | <small>Topola, south of Belgrade</small> | <small>remains found two days later near Kragujevac</small> |
65. | <small>Topola, south of Belgrade</small> |
66. | 22.04 | <small>Apatin</small> | <small>American UAV (Predator (?))</small> |
67. | 23.04 | <small>village Orlane 15 km east from Pristina</small> | |
68. | 24.04 | <small>near Pristina (14:45) (village Businja)</small> | <small>A-10 (?)</small> |
69. | <small>village Lapije selo near Pristina</small> | |
70. | <small>village Lipovica near Pristina</small> | |
71. | <small>mountain Kukavica near Leskovac</small> | <small>F-14 (?) one pilot captured</small> |
72. | 25.04 | <small>Novi Sad</small> | |
73. | 26.04 | <small>mountain Zlatibor (Pilot ejected)</small> | |
| 27.04 | <small>Tirana (crashed during the test flight)</small> | <small>USAF AH-64 APACHE</small> |
74. | <small>Bosnia</small> | |
75. | <small>near Prokuplje</small> | |
| <small>damaged in south of Yugoslavia</small> | <small>Airplane reach Macedonia</small> |
76. | 29.04 | <small>Pancevo</small> | |
77. | <small>Pancevo</small> | |
| <small>damaged in south of Yugoslavia</small> | <small>Airplane reach Macedonia</small> |
78. | <small>near Belgrade</small> | |
79. | 30.04 | <small>south of Nis</small> | |
80. | 1.05 | <small>over Adriatic Sea</small> | <small>USAF Harrier</small> |
81. | 2.05 | <small>Sabac</small> | USAF F-16 |
82. | <small>Sabac</small> | <small>rescue helicopter</small> |
83. | <small>Umka near Belgrade (14:30)</small> | <small>two parachutes seen on the sky</small> |
| <small>damage NATO aircraft arrived at Skoplje airport Petrovec</small> | <small>USAF A-10 "Tank-killer"</small> |
84. | <small>crash near Tetovo, engine felt on Yugoslav territory</small> | USAF A-10 |
| 5.05 | <small>75 km north of Tirana (Albania)</small> | <small>USAF AH-64 APACHE</small> |
85. | | <small>Baina Basta</small> | |
86. | 6.05 | <small>Vranje</small> | <small>UAV</small> |
87. | 7.05 | <small>Nis</small> | <small>one pilot KIA, second pilot bail out, destiny unknown</small> |
88. | <small>Nis</small> |
89. | 9.05 | <small>hit south of Vranje, crash on Yugoslav-Macedonian border</small> | <small>UAV</small> |
90. | 12.05 | <small>Batajnica</small> | |
91. | 13.05 | <small>Klokot banja - Kosovo (12.00 pm)</small> | UAV (CL-289) |
92. | <small>village Biba near Urosevac</small> | <small>American UAV (Predator)</small> |
93. | 14.05 | <small>mountain Mokra Gora (Kosovo)</small> | <small>American UAV (Predator) (57th Reconnaissance Wing, 15th Squadron)</small> |
94. | 16.05 | <small>Kosovo</small> | German UAV (CL-289) |
95. | 17.05 | <small>Batajnica airport in north Belgrade</small> | |
96. | <small>Pester plateau</small> | UAV |
97. | 19.05 | <small>village Talinovce near Urosevac (4.45 pm)</small> | <small>American UAV (Predator, serial number AF 95 021, 57th Wing)</small> |
98. | <small>Urosevac (6.40 pm)</small> | <small>UAV</small> |
99. | 20.05 | <small>Slatina</small> | <small>American UAV (Predator)</small> |
100. | 21.05 | <small>village Buca, south Kosovo (8.00)</small> | <small>UAV (Hunter)</small> |
101. | <small>south of Belgrade</small> | |
102. | 22.05 | <small>Klina (Kosovo)</small> | A-10 "Tank-killer" |
103. | 23.05 | <small>Montenegro (Army Marine Air Defense)</small> | <small>UAV</small> |
104. | <small>Montenegro (Army Marine Air Defense)</small> | <small>UAV</small> |
105. | 25.05 | <small>Aleksandrovac</small> | RAF Harrier |
106. | 26.05 | <small>Yugoslav-Bulgarian-Romanian border</small> | |
107. | <small>Hit over south Serbia, crash land near Skoplje</small> | <small>USAF F-16, pilot hard wounded taken by rescue helicopters</small> |
108. | 27.05 | <small>village Grabica (Bosnia)</small> | |
109. | <small>village Brcak, Boka Kotorska (Montenegro)</small> | American UAV (Hunter) |
110. | 29.05 | <small>near Belgrade</small> | |
111. | 30.05 | <small>hit over Nis plane crashed on mountain Radan</small> | |
112. | 30.05 | <small>hit over Kursumlija plane crashed near Zitni Potok</small> | <small>pilot eject over village Bregovina</small> |
113. | 1.06 | <small>Airport Petrovac (Macedonia)</small> | <small>A-10</small> |
114. | <small>Kosovo</small> | <small>UAV</small> |