Two dozen U.S. Apaches were deployed to Albania in late April

RELATED VIDEO CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports the Apaches may never see action in the Kosovo conflict Windows Media 28K 80K

May 18, 1999
Web posted at: 9:58 p.m. EDT (0158 GMT)

In this story: A-10 planes 'very effective' Warnings of high risk to Apaches RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Clear skies signal that the all-weather Apache attack helicopters may never see action in Yugoslavia, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

Two dozen U.S. Apaches were deployed to Albania in late April for possible use against Yugoslav tanks in Kosovo.

"They were dispatched at a time when we were being weathered out on a substantial number of sorties over Kosovo," said Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon.

The miserable conditions produced knee-deep mud in Albania, delaying deployment of the helicopters and several thousand of their support troops, as well as combat training for the local terrain.

Two Apache helicopters have crashed on training flights in Albania, with one crash killing two U.S. fliers.

In the meantime, A-10 anti-tank planes have performed well in place of the Apaches and will do even better in the clear conditions, Pentagon officials said.

In fact, 18 more A-10s have been dispatched to Italy. They can fly low during missions because NATO strikes have destroyed much of Yugoslavia's air defenses.

"I'll guarantee you, the A-10 is flying at an altitude that is appropriate for that aircraft to be very, very effective," said Maj. Gen. Charles Wald, vice director of planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Pentagon said it did not block the use of Apaches because of the risk of casualties. But sources told CNN that reservations by top U.S. military leaders may have discouraged NATO commander Gen. Wes Clark from asking for final permission to use them.

"If we use (the Apache fleet), it will be very effective, but if we use it, we're going to take some losses," said retired U.S. Gen. Chuck Horner.

On Friday, Gen. John Jumper, commander of the U.S. air forces in Europe, also talked about the risks Apaches could face from Serbian shoulder-fired missiles.

"The shoulder-fired weapons, of course, are a significant threat, and there are thousands of them located down there," Jumper said. "I consider the shoulder-fired SAM threat to be one that is significant."

Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre contributed to this report.

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