previous next
Serbian TV images of reportedly downed F-117A stealth fighter RELATED VIDEO CNN's Brent Sadler reports on Yugoslavia's claim that a warplane was shot down Saturday, March 27 Windows Media 28K 80K   To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Yugoslavia, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery. Quicktime Movie: NATO releases video of airstrikes 1.6M / 21 sec. / 240x180  ALSO: NATO, British leaders allege 'genocide' in Kosovo Primakov to try to halt NATO bombings NATO stealth missions continue after crash Russia: NATO strikes hurting relations with U.S. Clinton: NATO must keep up air campaign Anti-NATO protests in Australia, Austria, Russia Report: Police detain suspects in embassy shooting  MESSAGE BOARD Crisis in Kosovo

March 28, 1999
Web posted at: 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT)

In this story: Serbs say NATO bombs hit civilian targets Military casualties Conflict threatens to spread RELATED STORIES, SITES

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- The pilot of a NATO warplane downed in Yugoslavia has been rescued and taken to safety at a NATO base, Pentagon officials said late Saturday.

NATO forces "concentrated on nothing else but the search and rescue" after reports were recieved about 3 p.m. EST that a stealth F-117A fighter pilot was missing, Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said in Washington.

The Pentagon would not comment on the specifics of the search and rescue mission, but Bacon said the team was composed of U.S. forces from several military services.

U.S. officials did not reveal the name or condition of the pilot and had no details on what may have caused the crash.

But as NATO unleashed a fourth day of airstrikes against Serbian targets Saturday, Yugoslavian authorities said they shot down the U.S. stealth Nighthawk.

Serbian television showed video of what it said was an F-117A stealth fighter-bomber that had been shot down by Yugoslav forces.

According to Yugoslav state TV, the plane went down approximately 40 kilometers (30 miles) west of Belgrade.

Serbian television pictures showed burning wreckage with the aircraft's identification number, AF-806, clearly visible. A stealth fighter with the number AF-806 appears in a photo on a U.S. Air Force Web site.

All F-117 fighters are from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, said U.S. military officials. The planes are based in Aviano Air Force Base in Italy for the present NATO campaign.

"This operation will continue. Nothing has damaged our resolve," Bacon said.

NATO officials in Brussels, Belgium, confirmed the successful rescue.

Serbs say NATO bombs hit civilian targets

Also in Belgrade, Yugoslav officials showed international journalists what they said was damage to non-military targets from the NATO bombing and said its air defenses remained intact.

NATO is "acting like an invisible coward with acts of aggression against Serb civilian structures," said Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Vuk Draskovic.

CNN's Brent Sadler was taken to a factory in Rakovica, just west of Belgrade, which Yugoslav officials said was hit by a cruise missile.

The large facility, which the officials said manufactures engines for civilian vehicles, appeared heavily damaged, with hundreds of its windows broken out.

Nearby, a family with three children huddled in an air raid shelter. The father said he was a worker in the engine factory.

The local media has reported that the attacks damaged schools, homes and hospitals.

Bacon says the Pentagon concentrated Saturday night on rescuing the downed pilot AIFF or WAV (179 K/ 16 sec. audio)

Sadler was also shown a military communications site in Rakovica, which Draskovic said had been struck daily since the NATO bombings began last Wednesday.

Yugoslav officials said there were military casualties from the bombings, but did not specify how many.

The chief of the Yugoslav Army information service said at a news conference Saturday that Yugoslav air defenses remained in good shape despite the bombings and could still shoot down NATO aircraft.

NATO attacks on Belgrade resumed before dusk Saturday, with the launch of Tomahawk cruise missiles from U.S. warships, one from the USS Philippine Sea and another an hour later from the destroyer USS Gonzales.

Fireballs have lit up the night sky in Belgrade since the attacks began and a forest near a popular suburb has been set ablaze. Residents have for the most part deserted the city's streets and headed for underground shelters.

Fuel has been restricted to essential services. City buses and trams are still running, but with few riders.

Conflict threatens to spread

Air raid sirens also went off Saturday in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

The pro-Western Montenegro, which along with Serbia is one of two republics making up the Yugoslav federation, has tried to remain neutral during the airstrikes.

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has accused Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic of dragging the country into a pointless war.

One of two Yugoslav MiG-29s shot down by U.S. F-15s

The NATO Stabilization Force base at Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, also went on alert early Saturday when two Yugoslav helicopters were spotted heading toward Bosnian air space.

"Our early morning system picked up two helicopters heading into the east approaching Bosnian air space and we immediately took defensive measures," said U.S. Major Tom Evans.

The helicopters did not cross the border.

Two U.S. F-15s shot down two Yugoslav MiG-29s that violated Bosnian air space Friday evening, said a NATO official. Local and NATO authorities are searching for the pilots, one of whom parachuted out of his plane, according to eyewitnesses. The wreckage of one has been found. A third aircraft escaped and returned to Yugloslav airspace, said sources.

A total of five Yugoslav planes had been shot down, according to NATO officials.

Correspondents Jim Bittermann, Brent Sadler and Tom Mintier contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.