27 YEARS AGO, "INVISIBLE" AMERICAN "F-117" WAS SHOT DOWN

BIJELJINA, MARCH 26 /SRNA/ - On March 27, 1999, the Yugoslav Army shattered the myth of the American "invisible" fighter-bomber F-117 by shooting it down over the village of Buđanovci during the NATO aggression.

The American aircraft was downed by members of the 3rd Division of the 250th Anti-Aircraft Defense Brigade. Thanks to the unit's skill, proper technique, and a "small technical innovation," they managed to hit the aircraft from the ground. The plane fell in the fields near the village of Buđanovci after being hit by two "Neva" type missiles. Colonel Zoltan Dani commanded the unit that shot it down. The pilot of the downed aircraft, Dale Zelko, was evacuated by American forces. The fall of the "invisible" plane caused excitement across Serbia, and postcards featuring the aircraft with ironic captions could be found at street vendors, including photos of the wreckage loaded onto a horse-drawn cart. Several years later, Colonel Dani, who had shot down the "invisible" plane, and pilot Dale Zelko met and became friends. The F-117A, also known as the "Night Hawk," earned its reputation through combat flights over Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991, when, according to published data, it flew unnoticed through Iraqi airspace 1,270 times in 39 combat missions. The aircraft was designed in a diamond shape, unusual for planes of this type, and in American military terminology, it was called "stealth".