How a Nighthawk Was Shot Down

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#US Nighthawk Shot Down #Serbia shot down US Nighthawk #Missile hit US Nighthawk

Transcript

00:01It's the 27th of March, 1999.

00:04An F-117 Nighthawk tears through the dark stormy skies,

00:09low over the Serbian countryside.

00:11The pilot is Lieutenant Colonel Daryl Zalco,

00:14and his mission is to bomb the command center

00:17of the Serbian Air Force in Belgrade.

00:20It's the headquarters of the force

00:22that's going to try and stop him on his mission tonight.

00:25Zalco is escorted by F-16 Vipers with missiles that can lock on

00:30and destroy enemy radar.

00:32As he approaches the Serbian border,

00:34he hears a command come over the radio.

00:37This is Joint Forces Air Component Commander.

00:39Because of the bad weather,

00:40the escorting Vipers are ordered to immediately turn back

00:44and return to base.

00:46He's on his own.

00:47If he's to make it home safely,

00:49he has to remain undetected.

00:51A ghost.

00:53Fortunately, he's in the most advanced operational fighter bomber

00:57that has ever flown.

00:59The Nighthawk's stealth capabilities make the 65-foot-long bomber

01:03appear on radar as if it was the size of a tennis ball,

01:06allowing it, so far, to go unchallenged in every mission.

01:11That is, every mission until this one.

01:14On the ground, an anti-air missile battery is waiting for him.

01:18It's under command of Lieutenant Colonel Zoltan Dani.

01:24Serbian spies have let him know that the enemy aircraft are coming,

01:28and he thinks today is his best chance to take down one of the elusive ghosts.

01:33Sweep the skies, Dani orders.

01:37And the P-18 early warning radar comes to life.

01:41They think, at its lowest frequency,

01:43it may be capable of detecting the enemy planes.

01:46But it also detects clouds and rain,

01:49resulting in a screen covered in fake signals.

01:51But, looking closely, Dani sees something.

01:55One tiny dot moving through the masses of clouds.

02:00A tiny dot headed right towards them.

02:04The wind is here.

02:07Turn off the Nishansky radar.

02:09Turn off.

02:10We have 20 seconds.

02:12We don't have a goal.

02:13We don't have a goal.

02:14We continue to search for a goal.

02:17Zaukos Nighthawk speeds towards his objective.

02:20The computer preparing the drop.

02:23Let's go again.

02:24Fi-1 and Fi-2, search for a goal.

02:27Dani double-checks the low frequency radar.

02:30He can see the target.

02:31It's right in front of them.

02:33But, he needs the SAM radar to get a lock.

02:36We don't have a goal.

02:37The men scan the sky just as instructed.

02:40We don't have a goal.

02:41Yet, the screens remain dead.

02:45But then, Zaukos opens his bomb bay,

02:49increasing the Nighthawk's radar signature

02:51just at the wrong moment.

02:53We have it. We have it.

02:55Fi-2, reach the goal.

02:57Fi-1, reach the goal.

02:59Fi-1, reach the goal.

03:07Two missiles fire off the launcher in quick succession.

03:10Streaking across the sky,

03:12Zaukos drops his bombs.

03:15They follow the path designated by the laser

03:18and explode.

03:19He soars past the target.

03:22It's another mission success.

03:24And he ascends to six kilometers.

03:27But, a few seconds later,

03:29his cockpit is filled with the wail of an urgent alarm

03:32and his controls light up.

03:34It's a lock alert.

03:36Almost at the same time,

03:39he sees the two missiles illuminate the clouds below him

03:42and then break through.

03:44They're coming right at him.

03:46He immediately breaks into evasive maneuvers.

03:49He pulls his aircraft up to try and escape.

03:52He's pushed into his seat as he ascends,

03:54as the aircraft screams more warnings at him.

03:57The F-117 has no chaff,

04:00so with the missile locked on,

04:02it's entirely on the pilot's actions to try and evade the threat.

04:08Time slows.

04:15He knows.

04:16It's over.

04:18They got me.

04:20These are proximity missiles

04:21and should detonate near the aircraft.

04:24Somehow, the first missile malfunctions

04:26and races by his canopy.

04:29The second missile, though, doesn't malfunction.

04:32It explodes, sending out a cloud of sharp shrapnel

04:35that perforates the left wing of his Nighthawk.

04:39The entire left side is blasted to pieces,

04:42illuminating the night sky a fiery orange.

04:45The aircraft immediately loses control

04:47and is thrown into a wild spin.

04:50As the plane spins,

04:52Zalko is pinned to his seat

04:53and experiences severe G-forces.

04:56The spin increases in violence.

04:58Flashing warnings illuminate his controls

05:00and a bright flame shines through the cockpit windows

05:04as the landscape spins around him.

05:07He knows he's in a critical situation.

05:10Even ejection might prove fatal,

05:11but it's his only choice.

05:12He fights seven Gs of force,

05:15a hundred pounds pulling up on each of his arms.

05:18Fueled by adrenaline,

05:19he gets hold of the ejection handles and pulls.

05:22In the blink of an eye,

05:23the canopy is blasted away

05:25and his seat rockets out of the cockpit.

05:28For one and a half, almost eternal seconds,

05:32Zalko free falls through the air,

05:35stuck to his chair.

05:36He's barely conscious

05:37and he thinks that the seat's still inside the plane

05:39and that the ejection seat has malfunctioned.

05:42But then,

05:44he feels the tug of the opening parachute

05:47and sees his burning Nighthawk tumbling away into the night.

05:50The violence of the spinning wreck is replaced by a total calm.

05:57Zalko breathes heavily as he takes it all in.

06:00He's alive,

06:01but then another thought hits him.

06:04Man,

06:05Mom is not gonna be happy about this.

06:08He knows the enemy are going to be searching for him.

06:10If he can't fall to the ground unseen,

06:12he can still get rescued and get back home with no further complications.

06:17But then, he looks up.

06:20He notices his parachute is bright orange.

06:25He might as well be waving a flare.

06:27With his hopes of going unseen dashed,

06:30he takes out his survival radio to report he's alive and well.

06:33Mayday, mayday, mayday,

06:34Vega 3-1, Vega 3-1 going down.

06:37To his massive relief,

06:40the mayday is heard.

06:42Vega 3-1, magic copies your mayday.

06:44Last position.

06:46Vega 3-1,

06:47last position in aircraft.

06:49Point after target.

06:51Zalko sees a ditch from above.

06:53He doesn't get to say much more before hitting the ground.

06:58He's now alone,

07:00deep behind enemy lines.

07:02Zalko runs for the ditch he saw on the way down.

07:08He quickly paints himself with mud and tries to hide as he awaits rescue.

07:15News of the downed plain quickly spreads.

07:20Serbians waste no time and rapidly initiate a search.

07:24All around him the activity gains momentum as more and more men appear.

07:30Men of the Serbian army comb the area.

07:33Gradually joined by local policemen and civilians as the news spreads.

07:38Everybody wants to find him.

07:40Flashlights illuminate the fields and trucks roll past on the nearby highway.

07:43Zalko can do nothing but sit and pray.

07:48Then he hears a rustle in the undergrowth getting louder.

07:51Just outside his ditch someone is searching.

07:54He stays still and quiet like a rock quieting his breath.

07:59He hears panting and snuffling.

08:04It's a dog.

08:05Slowly and carefully Zalko pulls out his knife.

08:14The dog gets closer.

08:18He weighs his options.

08:20Should he kill the dog?

08:22If he did could he do it silently?

08:24He finally makes up his mind to spare the dog.

08:27Reasoning that if he did kill it the owner would be quick to follow.

08:30Then to Zalko's massive relief.

08:39The dog turns.

08:40Jumps up.

08:41And leaves.

08:45The radio crackles to life.

08:48Zalko's eyes go wide.

08:52They're here.

08:53Go ahead Sandy O1. Over.

08:58Vega 3-1. Is it okay to come down there?

09:01Zalko doesn't respond.

09:03He peeks out of his hiding spot searching the area for threats.

09:06Flashlights shine in the distance.

09:10Vega 3-1. If you don't answer we're gonna try this later.

09:14He makes his decision.

09:16Yeah, okay. Let's go for it.

09:18Zalko turns on his infrared strobe.

09:25As a chopper races into the area.

09:28But the strobe fails.

09:30And the helicopter can't see him.

09:36He curses his luck.

09:38And desperately checks for threats.

09:40He has a backup.

09:41But it's nowhere near as subtle.

09:43But it's now or never.

09:45Zalko makes a quick decision.

09:46And pops a flare.

09:53Bright light spills all around him.

09:56And illuminates the area.

09:58Pointing out his position for the rescue helicopter.

10:01And the enemy alike.

10:03There he is.

10:07The helicopter sweeps in rapidly.

10:09As the enemy also closes in.

10:11At the same time in the distance.

10:12Flashlights from enemy patrols.

10:15Are all pointed towards the flare.

10:17But then another transmission comes through the radio.

10:20Snuff your flare.

10:21It blinds our night vision.

10:23Thinking quickly.

10:24Zalko rushes to take the flare.

10:26And dunk it in the mud.

10:28Just as the rescue helicopter comes in to land.

10:30Right in front of him.

10:32And is greeted by an American rescue team.

10:34How are you feeling sir?

10:36Great.

10:37Now let's get out of here.

10:40The field is blasted with wind.

10:45As a helicopter rises up into the air.

10:47And exits a scene with just seconds to spare.

10:50Before the enemy spills over the landing site.

10:53Zoltan Dani and his crew.

10:56To this day remain the only team.

10:59To have downed a stealth aircraft in combat.

11:03When talking about the incident.

11:05Dani would later say.

11:07When it hit.

11:09It felt very good.

11:11The US didn't destroy the wreck.

11:17And the Serbian forces salvaged the mortally wounded Nighthawk.

11:20Unimpeded.

11:22And today.

11:23You can still see pieces of Zalko's aircraft.

11:25In the Museum of Aviation.

11:27In Belgrade.

11:29Zalko always expressed a desire.

11:31To find the man who shot him down.

11:33And congratulate him.

11:35He finally got his wish in 2011.

11:37Just 12 years after the incident.

11:41The end of the 20th century.

11:42Was packed with unforgettable military stories.

11:45Here's another one.

11:46What many call the last tank battle of the century.

11:48In the middle of the century.

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