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March 27, 2026

I feared the Serbs would reach me first,” the confession of the pilot of the invisible F-117 aircraft shot down by the Serbian Air Defense

“It was a great honor to be chosen as a pilot of the invisible F-117 aircraft,” began Dale Zelko, a US NATO lieutenant colonel, recounting the evening his invisible F-117 aircraft was shot down by Serbian air defense forces on March 27, 1999, the fourth day of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

I feared the Serbs would reach me first,” the confession of the pilot of the invisible F-117 aircraft shot down by the Serbian Air Defense

TL;DR

  • Dale Zelko, an F-117 pilot, was shot down on March 27, 1999, during NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia.
  • He was on a mission over Belgrade, considered the most dangerous of his career.
  • After launching bombs, his F-117 was hit, forcing him to eject over enemy territory.
  • Zelko feared capture by Serbian forces and struggled to reach a rescue team.
  • He successfully signaled his location and was rescued by a US team six hours after being shot down.

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