The Story Behind The First And Only F-117 Stealth Fighter Jet Shot Down In Combat

The First And Only F-117 Stealth Fighter Jet Shot Down In Combat -- Aviationist

n Mar. 27, 1999, the fourth night of Operation Allied Force over Serbia, an F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter jet was shot down while returning to Aviano airbase, in northern Italy after bombing a target near Belgrade.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Darrell P. Zelko, a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, was flying a stealth plane from the 49th Fighter Wing, deployed to Italy from Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, with the radio callsign “Vega 31″ when he was hit by the Serbian air defense near Novi Sad.

Zelko was flying his third Allied Force sortie and he was egressing the target area when his since-then invincible, F-117 was hit, forcing him to eject behind the enemy lines at 20.45 LT.

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My Comment: Here is an even more fascinating story on what happened after this incident .... Dale Zelko, Former US Air Force Pilot, Meets Zoltan Dani, Serbian Commander Who Shot Him Down (VIDEO) -- Huffington Post