（f-117）
On March 27, 1999, the NATO military group led by the US military carried out indiscriminate bombing of Yugoslavia, but the Slavic air defense force successfully shot down an American stealth aircraft F-117, shocking the world, which is also the only stealth fighter shot down by a missile. However, there are more mysteries about this incident, and the U.S. military did not recognize that the Yugoslav garrison was really capable of detecting the F-117, saying that the incident was likely to be an accident.
According to the U.S. military, on March 27, the weather in the Adriatic Sea was bad, and yugoslav intelligence agencies found an EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft and other fighter jets hovering nearby, so they launched an anti-aircraft missile to strike, but accidentally hit an F-117 on a secret mission, which means that Yugoslavia shot down the F-117 just a coincidence, but is this really the case?
(F-117 fighter)
Recently, retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Heinlein unveiled the details of the Yugoslav air defense forces shooting down the F-117 fighter. As a first-hand witness to the downing of F-117 fighter jets in Yugoslavia, his words are also contrary to many "well-known" situations, and thus reveal a 21-year secret.
According to Heinlein's recollections, during the Yugoslav operation that year, he was stationed at the Luftwaffe base as an F-117 pilot of NATO's 9th Flying Knight Fighter Squadron. On the same day, he flew an F-117 fighter jet on a mission with another F-117, spending about six hours after takeoff to avoid Yugoslav air defense systems. According to his recollection, he had previously monitored a number of missiles fired by Yugoslavia, indicating that its air defense system was still operational. Although the F-117 has stealth performance, it also has a problem, that is, it does not have its own air defense detection equipment. So he and his teammates got in touch with the F-16 fleet on the front line to get intelligence on the front line.
(F-117 wreckage in the Belgrade Museum)
When Heinlein arrived on the outskirts of Belgrade, his teammates were about 10 miles away. The F-16 fleet on the front line announced an attack against air defenses, which made the F-117 pilots realize that they were now relatively safe. However, only a few tens of seconds later, Heinlein noticed a glowing fireball approaching from the west. After confirming it was an attack, Heinlein kept autopilot on because manual controls could have an impact on the radar's cross-section, making the F-117 more vulnerable to missile attacks. After confirming safety, Heinlein went to the KC-135 tanker to refuel and waited for his companion's F-117 to arrive, but the companion never came again.
Heinlein believes that the F-117's stealth is not invincible, and that Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles will cause trouble for the F-117. The S-125 air defense system that shot down the F-117 this time is a Russian air defense system.
According to the Yugoslav air defense brigade soldier Zortan Danny, they did receive information about entering the country's airspace that day, but did not find the F-117 first. But then the F-117's bomb-dropping hatch opened to reduce the radar's stealth, and yugoslav ground forces fired two S-125 missiles at it, the second of which successfully hit the F-117.
(Serbian president rewards his troops with trophies made from the wreckage of U.S. F-117 fighter jets)
At this point, we can know that the Yugoslav air defense forces did find the F-117 fighter on that day, but did not confirm the coordinates, so they chose to wait for the opportunity. The F-117 pilots received news of the breakthrough on the front line, thinking that there was no threat, so they inadvertently opened the bomb bay and exposed their position, resulting in the fighter being shot down.
Today, the wreckage of the F-117 is preserved in the Aviation Museum in Belgrade, and many small fragments have been removed as souvenirs. The F-117 was officially retired in 2008, and the strangely shaped stealth fighter has since bid farewell to the battlefield. (sub-text)