- 16 hours ago
Nga Lufta ne Kosove
bombardimet e NATO ne serbi
lajmet e Shteteve Perendimore
bombardimet e NATO ne serbi
lajmet e Shteteve Perendimore
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Short filmTranscript
00:00... and naval forces were once again involved in airstrikes
00:03against military targets in Yugoslavia.
00:06Six Royal Air Force Harriers
00:08attacked explosive ammunition storage buildings
00:12within a military barracks at Leskovac,
00:15shone on the map.
00:17The targeted barracks was home to an anti-aircraft unit
00:20and an infantry unit.
00:23Weapons and equipment stored
00:25included anti-aircraft guns and ammunition,
00:27man-portable surface-to-air missiles,
00:31target-tracking radars,
00:34and large-caliber self-propelled and towed guns.
00:37Such weapons and ammunition are used for point-air defence
00:41and offensive ground operations
00:42and are therefore relevant
00:44both to our objective of suppressing
00:47Yugoslavian air defence system
00:50and to our aim of reducing Yugoslavia's capability
00:53to repress Vikosovars.
00:55All of our aircraft returned safely to their bases
01:00having completed their missions.
01:03Of the three targets that they attacked,
01:06two were successfully destroyed,
01:09as you'll see in a minute from the video camera footage.
01:12One aircraft successfully locked onto the third target,
01:17but as a result of a technical problem,
01:20the aircraft didn't release its bombs.
01:23Our aircraft were not attacked
01:25by missiles or anti-aircraft fire.
01:29Group Captain Parkinson
01:30will now take you through the video.
01:33Ladies and gentlemen,
01:35I'm going to show you two clips of our films last night.
01:39Both attacks were against the same target area,
01:42but the pilots have been allocated
01:43different impact points
01:45inside that target complex,
01:47and you'll see that on the films.
01:49The Harriers last night
01:50flew what we call a cooperative attack,
01:54with one pilot in one aircraft
01:56designating the target with his laser pod,
01:58and the other pilot in his aircraft
02:01providing the weapons to attack the target.
02:04It may look like a fairly simple procedure
02:07when you watch this film,
02:08but I should remind you
02:09that the Harrier pilot
02:10is in an extremely complex environment
02:13when he's carrying out this attack.
02:15He's required to fly in formation
02:17with the other aircraft,
02:19he's required to look out
02:20for attacks from the air,
02:22he's required to look at the ground
02:24for signs of launch of surface-to-air missiles,
02:27but most importantly,
02:29he's required to monitor
02:30his airborne electronic warfare warning equipment,
02:35which will continuously alert him
02:37if he is attacked.
02:39Could we show the first film, please?
02:48This is the picture the pilot would see
02:49when he first selects weapon aiming.
02:51He's still several minutes out
02:53from weapons release at this stage,
02:55and his responsibility
02:56is to identify the target area.
03:00He's still too far out
03:01to identify his actual aiming point
03:03and he'll do that later on.
03:05You'll see at the top of the film,
03:06running down from the top right-hand corner,
03:09that's a ribbon conurbation
03:11of the town of Lepravatch.
03:14Below that, the C-shaped area,
03:16just above the centre of the picture,
03:18that's a wooded area
03:19closely associated with the target area.
03:22And inside that wooded area,
03:24inside that C-shape,
03:25is the rest of the military complex.
03:31The pilot at this stage
03:32will be monitoring his warning equipment.
03:34We've just moved in a few miles now,
03:36and the pilot's beginning to break out
03:38his own target,
03:39and you can see to the top left-hand corner
03:41the rest of the military complex.
03:45Again, the C-shape wood is dominant there.
03:48And the pilot will be using all these features
03:51so that he can identify the target.
03:58The explosion,
03:59with the weapons inside the storage area
04:01now exploding.
04:10We'll just move on shortly to the second attack.
04:13Can you just hold the film there, please?
04:14We'll just move on shortly to the second attack.
04:19This is, again,
04:19another one of those bunkers
04:20in that line that you saw.
04:23And the pilot, during this attack,
04:26while he's preparing to make the attack,
04:28believes he may be engaged by an enemy radar,
04:31and consequently takes evasive manoeuvring
04:34to be on the safe side.
04:36And you'll see that later on,
04:38he does have sufficient time
04:39so he can safely acquire the target
04:40before the weapons are released.
04:43Can you play the film, please?
04:44On the right-hand side,
04:49top right-hand side,
04:49the dark patch there,
04:51that indicates where the first bomb went off.
04:55And you can see the line of buildings there,
04:59and the pilot's trying to select
05:01his aiming point at this stage.
05:04Top left, you can see the rest of the complex.
05:07Film's running now.
05:09This is where he has to manoeuvre his aeroplane
05:12because he believes he may be attacked.
05:14He comes out of that manoeuvre.
05:16The equipment quickly locates the exact area,
05:20and the pilot refines the mark
05:21in plenty of time to safely execute the attack.
05:24Here again, we have the final phase of the marking.
05:33See the shape of the road.
05:34All that is helping the pilot
05:36accurately identify his aiming point.
05:38We have an impact there.
05:56A bit of smoke at the bottom of the picture.
05:57That's from the first,
05:58from his leader's bombs.
06:02You can see the effect of the detonation there.
06:04And surely those weapons inside those storage areas
06:07will now have been destroyed.
06:08Thank you.
06:10Well, as well as the Harrier GR7s you've just heard about,
06:14two Royal Air Force TriStar tanker aircraft
06:17and three E3D Sentry early warning aircraft
06:22were flying essential support missions last night.
06:26And I think at this stage,
06:28I'd like to pray tribute to all the men and women
06:30of the Royal Air Force ground crews and support services
06:33who have been involved in these operations.
06:36They're carrying out very difficult roles
06:38in an exemplary manner.
06:41Turning to NATO's military action overall,
06:44our attacks so far have had to be aimed mainly
06:47at Yugoslavia's air defence system
06:50since we have an obligation to protect our own aircraft.
06:55But the balance is now shifting
06:56to wider military targets.
06:58We're, however, still some way away
07:01from achieving our objective
07:03of reducing the capability
07:05of Yugoslavian security forces
07:07to repress the Kosovar population.
07:11Even now,
07:12Yugoslavian military and security forces,
07:15including tanks and other armoured vehicles,
07:18continue operations using disproportionate force
07:22in north-eastern Kosovo.
07:23There are reports of fighting
07:26around Podievo,
07:28Inshala region,
07:30and in the vicinity of Vyptan.
07:33Our reports indicate
07:34that fresh forces have been introduced from Serbia
07:38and are supporting these offensives.
07:41I'm intent on ensuring adequate protection
07:44for our people based in Macedonia and Bosnia.
07:47They're not involved in Operation Allied Force,
07:50but they're there for peacekeeping purposes only.
07:56They're there to implement a peace agreement
07:58once one exists.
08:00We continue to take deliberate measures
08:03to ensure the protection of these forces.
08:06Yesterday, following reports
08:08that the Yugoslavian army might be tempted
08:10to shell our positions,
08:12our AS-90 long-range artillery
08:14was moved in Macedonia
08:16to be able to respond in full measure
08:19in self-defence
08:20to any Yugoslav offensive operations.
08:24We've also adjusted
08:25the position of our lead armoured battle group
08:28with its challenger tanks
08:30and warrior armoured vehicles
08:32to respond to any attack.
08:35These are purely defensive measures.
08:38Should there be an attack upon our forces,
08:42our response will be swift and severe
08:45and would not be confined
08:47to these steps alone.
08:51One is the laser-guided bombs
08:53and the second is the weapons inside,
08:55probably man-portable missiles going off there.
08:58So that's a very, very precise attack.
09:00Right, we're going to have a look
09:01at that one again.
09:02We haven't organised the second one yet,
09:04but it's a kind of double explosion.
09:05Yes, it is.
09:06The first explosion being the bombs there.
09:07That's the secondary explosion going off.
09:10This plume here is of the laser-guided bomb.
09:13So that's a very successful operation.
09:16Two targets in the same barracks complex.
09:19They called it a complex area.
09:22Target complex were destroyed.
09:23The third one, they had a lock-on,
09:26but there's a technical problem,
09:27what's called a hang-up in pilot terminology,
09:29and they didn't drop the bomb.
09:31So two out of the three targets of blast night
09:34for the RAF destroyed.
09:35Yes, I can hear the engine roaring,
09:38and the first one now is lumbering its way
09:41along this runway here,
09:43one of the longest runways in Europe.
09:45With its cruise missiles on board
09:47and a full load of fuel,
09:49it will take some time to rise off the ground.
09:51Well, Andrew, quite a sight.
10:18Yes, that's the first one away there.
10:19These aircraft have the call signal Havoc,
10:23and each individual plane has a name.
10:25Some of the planes here today,
10:27one called Instigator,
10:29another one called Mad Bolshevik.
10:32And yes, it looks as if another plane now is lining up.
10:36It's difficult for me to see the end of the runway
10:38from where I am.
10:39Another of our cameras is in a higher position,
10:41but yes, there is another plane coming along too.
10:44They try and take off as close as they can to each other
10:47so that they can travel in a squadron towards their targets.
10:54These planes could reach Serbia directly in two or three hours,
10:58but it seems they're flying a circuitous route
11:00over the Mediterranean,
11:01taking much longer to reach their target.
11:03And Andrew, as we were discussing earlier,
11:16seeing these planes taking off the day before yesterday
11:19was the first sign that air attacks were about to strike,
11:24but as yet we don't know exactly their destination today.
11:27No, we don't know their destinations.
11:31The U.S. Air Force won't confirm
11:32until after the mission has been completed
11:34whether they were on a bombing mission or not.
11:38Certainly we would anticipate
11:40that they've been armed with cruise missiles.
11:43We anticipate they're going on a bombing mission.
11:46They will probably be launching these missiles
11:48later on this afternoon, this evening.
11:50They will probably hit home
11:52just as darkness falls over their targets
11:54in Serbia and Kosovo.
11:56And the third plane, third and final plane,
12:00now taking off.
12:16Right, well, we'll leave it there for now, Andrew.
12:19We've watched those three B-52s
12:21joining presumably the four
12:22which had left earlier on this morning.
12:25For now, thanks very much.
12:26in either combat or supporting roles.
12:31We have conducted some 400 sorties
12:33and here is a list of some of the air defence facilities
12:36that we have struck to date.
12:42That may be somewhat microscopic
12:44for the people at the back.
12:47We'll give you those afterwards.
12:49You will see from the map
12:51you will see from the map the rough aim points
12:53by the places where those targets lie.
13:00And in many cases,
13:01there may be several aim points
13:02associated with these important installations.
13:05I will also show you some filmed airborne recordings of these attacks.
13:09I hope you can see from the back there, but this is some photography of some of our targets struck.
13:21And you're welcome afterwards to come a little closer, should you feel the need, but you will see here there is very obvious damage and in this position here.
13:35David, can you tell me what that target is please?
13:37David, can you tell me what that target is please?
13:42Yeah, that's the Danolav Grad facility.
13:45It's an SA6 site, supporting facility.
13:53I'm afraid my pronunciation will probably not be perfect.
13:57This is the Novi Saad heliport and vehicle storage depot.
14:01And once again, you will see very obvious signs of target damage.
14:12And this was the Kashiarevo early warning site.
14:30Bhatia Nietzsche Aviation Repair Facility and once again, very obvious signs of damage.
14:37And finally, similarly, another aim point on the same facility, you can see obvious damage where target has been struck.
14:53What I'd like to do now is just to dim the lights and give you a chance, if our facilities work, to show you what the crews are looking at from the cockpit.
15:07Go ahead.
15:14Right, we can roll it when you are able.
15:16You can see there is the graticule that's on the target and there you can see where the explosion has occurred.
15:25Sorry, David, can you move back just a second?
15:28That's it.
15:28Now, this is an ammunition facility and you can tell by the veracity of the fire that's coming out that there has definitely been a fair amount of explosive in there.
15:43Once again, you can see the graticule on the target.
15:53Once again, you can see the graticule on the target.
15:57It's very easy for us sitting in this room, but bear in mind these attacks have been carried out at night and in hostile territory.
16:26There are some very steady hands there putting the aim points on.
16:32Once again.
16:41You will obviously realise that the imagery that you're seeing is not as good as it can be viewed through close-up proper instruments.
16:51Last night our attacks were carried out with no apparent fighter opposition and although some surface-to-air missile systems were detected, only one possible launch was noted with no success.
17:13Perhaps that goes some way to demonstrate the effectiveness of our campaign against this highly sophisticated, integrated air defence system.
17:23I can give you a small update from night one.
17:26Whilst I am obviously unable to give you the tactical details, I can confirm that three MiG-29 Fulcrums were shot down, one over Kosovo and two over the Central Federal Republic.
17:40One up there, one there, and one here.
17:46In summary, our operations continue, and you can expect us to maintain our careful and systematic campaign to interdict, disrupt, and to neutralise the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's integrated air defence systems.
18:04We will achieve this with the minimum effort necessary, and with as little collateral damage to the civilian population and property as possible.
18:16As Alethea hugs her sailor husband and his friend, she tries not to think about what lies ahead.
18:24I'm very weak, weak as far as seeing him leaving, you know, so I'm doing good right now, but as soon as I turn my back, you know, but I have to be strong for him because he's scared too, so.
18:36The families have been watching the news with keen interest the last few days as they prepared to say goodbye.
18:42Every day, just watching what's going on. It's a concern for everybody.
18:46You want to keep it, I guess, isolated right there in Yugoslavia. It goes outside that. Who knows where to go?
18:50And who knows where these ships will go? The captain of the Theodore Roosevelt, in charge of 5,000 men and women, claims he doesn't know, though he concedes the Adriatic Sea and the conflict in Yugoslavia are possible.
19:03This is what everybody trains for, this is what people are in the military for, and we go out there, that edge of excitement is there.
19:13Even the admiral of the battle group says nothing's decided, though he says some hostile action is likely.
19:18You want to train for the hardest fight. You want to train for some of these games against the toughest team you've got.
19:23And I think that's a good game plan. And I tell the air crews and I tell the folks on these ships to get ready to go fight the toughest fight.
19:32That's what the sailors on board have been told. That's why the families left behind are afraid.
19:38Brian Cabell, CNN, Norfolk, Virginia.
19:40The Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and its hugely powerful supporting battle group is leaving Virginia for the region.
19:49At this stage, it may just assist.
19:51But as the president holds continuous discussions with his security advisors, it's clear the administration feels his message must go around the world, in particular to Yugoslavia.
20:00The third day of airstrikes on Yugoslavia. Despite politicians' insistence that the alliance's unity is rock solid, the prime minister of Italy, NATO's air base for now, and in missile range of Yugoslavia, made plane he wants to see it over with.
20:17I believe the scenario is starting to emerge, which should lead back to a political initiative.
20:24In Rome, demonstrations at the United States Embassy.
20:27This war is in the heart of Europe. We don't think that the war is the solution.
20:36Misgivings from the Greek foreign minister.
20:38We were hoping that all means, all peaceful means, could be used to finally come to a peaceful solution.
20:47And we think it's a blow back for our region.
20:50In Britain, lawmakers wanted the government to reassure them it has a plan for what happens when the bombing stops.
20:56NATO's 19 democracies, some uncomfortably close to the action, naturally have different views of war in the Balkans.
21:05It's a question of time now. Is Belgrade going to move politically, or are we going to have night after night of bombing when certain NATO members will find it hard to have the political stamina to see this through?
21:17Meanwhile, can Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević survive night after night?
21:23He's being defiant at the moment because that's what he perceives as being in his interests, and it serves his purposes to be bombed.
21:31A nationalist boost to the president's sagging popularity, an opportunity to brush aside or crack down on opponents.
21:38There is the danger that while the West may achieve its strategic goals, if it does bomb Milošević into submission, it will strengthen Milošević and turn Serbia into a, as far as democracy is concerned, a black hole into which no light penetrates.
21:52And when, finally, it is all over, some Europeans are asking, who's going to be asked to pay for rebuilding Yugoslavia?
22:01Richard Blystone, CNN London.
22:02And high-performance MIG-29s. They will be treated with respect by NATO pilots.
22:10Some Serb anti-aircraft missile systems have a reach of 60,000 feet.
22:15Even if all the radar and missile sites are destroyed, the skies will not be safe.
22:20The Serbs have nearly 2,000 anti-aircraft guns. Many are mobile.
22:25And a naval fleet of four submarines and frigates.
22:27The Yugoslav Armed Forces has nearly 114,000 men, backed by 100,000 reserves.
22:35The toughest challenge will be if the Serbs don't bow to airstrikes and force the alliance into a ground operation in Kosovo to establish a NATO wall of protection.
22:44NATO currently has around 28,000 troops on the ground in Macedonia.
22:48As bomb damage assessment experts continue to study the success rate of Allied air attacks, it's hoped the next move will be from Milosevic, and that it will be a peaceful one.
22:59Chris Rogers, Sky News.
23:02...satisfied with last night's raids and said there were no Allied casualties.
23:07Reports from the Yugoslav side say more than 100 civilians and 30 soldiers have been killed.
23:13Our correspondent Julian Mannion is in Belgrade, where Western journalists aren't permitted to take their own pictures of the bomb damage.
23:20He's been watching Yugoslav TV pictures.
23:24In the town of Leskovac, 200 miles south of Belgrade, some of the aftermath of a raid by RAF Harriers.
23:31Serbian television showed pictures of damage to a civilian area caused, it claimed, by a bomb which missed its target.
23:39The RAF says it hit a military ammunition dump near the edge of town with two laser-guided bombs, and that the raid was a complete success.
23:49Targets all over Serbia have once again been attacked.
23:53This morning, flames and smoke were still billowing near the town of Karaleva, south of the capital.
23:58Last night, NATO aircraft were seen in the skies above the town.
24:02Their targets included a military airbase and an important Air Force radar system.
24:08The town also has a military factory producing parts for tanks and armoured cars,
24:13but it's not yet clear from the pictures shown by Serbian television whether that was hit.
24:20Other airstrikes struck the neighbouring Republic of Montenegro, which, along with Serbia, makes up what remains of Yugoslavia.
24:28In the Belgrade area, the pattern was repeated, with another cruise missile attack on the Air Force Base 15 miles away.
24:36And this evening, there are reports of a fresh bombing strike just outside the Serbian capital.
24:42In spite of the tension caused by airstrikes just beyond the city limits,
24:46there's no sign so far that the NATO campaign is weakening resolve here in the Serbian capital.
24:51In fact, attitudes among ordinary people seem to be hardening,
24:55with many saying that Serbia should now stand firm against what they see as blackmail.
25:00So whatever the damage to President Milosevic's armed forces, and that is no doubt considerable,
25:05the uncomfortable fact is that here, inside Serbia, his political position has, for the moment, strengthened.
25:10It's not yet known what price is being paid by the Yugoslav army.
25:16One report speaks of 30 servicemen dead, and television showed one of the wounded being treated.
25:21What is clear is that the pressure, and presumably the casualties,
25:25will have to considerably increase before President Milosevic changes course.
25:30Julian Mannion, ITN, Belgrade.
25:33Julian Mannion joins us now on the telephone from Belgrade.
25:36Julian, what's the latest there?
25:37Well, we've just been told by the emergency services here that there is an unconfirmed report
25:42of an explosion somewhere on the southern fringes of the city.
25:46And, as I say, it's unconfirmed, and I've done my best to look in that direction from this hotel,
25:51but there's no sign of any fire or any smoke in that direction.
25:55What there is as night falls here is an increased sense of nervousness, even fear.
26:00The streets are now largely deserted at this time.
26:02The streetlights have been turned.
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