1999 F-117A shootdown
| 1999 F-117A shootdown | |
|---|---|
| Part of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia | |
Ejection seat, wing and canopy of F-117 with serial number 82-0806 at the Belgrade Aviation Museum in late 2018. | |
| Type | Aircraft shootdown |
| Location | 44°54′N 19°52′E / 44.900°N 19.867°E |
| Target | NATO warplanes |
| Date | 27 March 1999 8:15 p.m. |
| Executed by | 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade, Army of Yugoslavia |
On 27 March 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia amid the Kosovo War, a Yugoslav Army unit shot down a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft of the United States Air Force by firing a S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile. It was the first ever shootdown of a stealth aircraft. The pilot ejected safely and was rescued eight hours later by U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen conducting search and rescue.
The F-117 had entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1983. It was believed its stealth technology would protect it from relatively obsolete Yugoslav air defenses. The wreckage was mostly intact, creating fears that the sensitive technology would be disseminated. The US military initially prepared F-15E fighters to destroy the wreckage, but claimed to abort the strike due to civilians at the site. It later claimed that it considered the F-117's technology outdated. Russian officials examined the wreckage, potentially contributing to the development of the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter and under development Tupolev PAK DA bomber. China also allegedly purchased wreckage parts, contributing to the Chengdu J-20 fighter.