Vega 31, the story of the USAF F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft that was shot down in Serbia

Today, fighter aircraft with stealth technology (i.e. with a very low radar signature) are already commonplace.

The cockpit interior of the still mysterious F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft
The sophisticated Sukhoi S-70 aircraft that Russia lost in Ukraine in a bizarre incident

However, a few decades ago, these types of aircraft were shrouded in almost complete secrecy. The first stealth fighter aircraft in active service was the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, which I told you about here in September. This aircraft made its first flight on June 18, 1981, but was kept in the strictest secrecy for seven years, until the Pentagon finally showed a first image of the aircraft on November 10, 1988.

The F-117 entered service in 1983, five years before the Pentagon revealed its existence. Five prototypes and 59 production aircraft were built. It should be noted that despite its designation (in the US, the F is used to designate fighter aircraft), the F-117 was a subsonic attack aircraft, capable of carrying two laser or GPS-guided bombs in separate weapons bays. The Nighthawk was first used in combat in the 1991 Gulf War, with great success.

On March 27, 1999, the only F-117 shot down in combat occurred, and the only stealth aircraft downed to date. The downed aircraft had the radio callsign "Vega 31", serial number 82-0806 and nickname "Something Wicked", and was piloted by Lt. Col. Patrick "Dale" Zelko. It was detected by a Yugoslav Army anti-aircraft battery belonging to the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade (under the command of Lt. Col. Zoltán Dani) while flying a combat mission over Buđanovci, Serbia, during NATO's Operation Allied Force.

The F-117 was detected opening its weapons bays to drop its bombs, at which point the bay doors momentarily increased the aircraft’s very low radar signature. The Vega 31 was hit by an S-125 Neva surface-to-air missile, causing severe damage to the aircraft. Fortunately, its pilot was able to eject and was rescued on the ground by a USAF pararescue team in a Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low helicopter. The cockpit cover and other remains of the Vega 31 are preserved in Belgrade, and are on display at the Belgrade Aviation Museum.

A few days ago, the always interesting channel Yarnhub published an excellent video recreating on computer the flight in which the Vega 31 was shot down over Serbia:

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Main photo: NARA. An F-117A in a photo published in 1995 by the USAF's "Airman" magazine.