No F-117 had been downed since their first operational flight in 1983, after all, so why worry?
Besides, NATO knew that while the Yugoslavs had an effective Integrated Air Defense System,
they were still using radars that were equally state-of-the-art… back in the 50s and 60s.
And F-117s were invisible.
Well, not to the naked eye, admittedly, but to radar.
Their shape scattered radar waves, while their material absorbed the rest, making them extremely tricky to detect on screens.
As such, they’re not officially “invisible.” They instead use of “low-observable technology.” They do have one major weakness, however.
Every time the pilot opens the wheel well or bomb bay doors, their low-observability rate decreases.
Or so the Americans thought till much later. Fortunately for the desperate Serbs, they figured it all out much earlier.
Without getting too technical, the F-117’s shape and material work well against modern, short wavelength radars – “short” being shorter than the object they’re trying to detect.
Imagine throwing pebbles in the dark to find something by listening for the thud.
But when it comes to the primitive long wavelength radars that the Serbs used… it’s like prodding for something in the dark using a long stick.
Once you find it, it doesn’t really matter if your stick slides off, now does it?
So the Serbs extended their wavelengths to make the “stick” even longer. Goodbye, invisibility cloak!
As an added bonus, they were able to intercept and decipher NATO communications, so they had a good idea of when and where to expect their unwelcome guest.
Zelko couldn’t have known that, of course.
warhistoryonline.com/history/that-day-the-serbs-did-the-impossible-shot-down-an-f-117-nighthawk.html
>nigger pilot?
Looks white to me.
Attached: Lieutenant Colonel Dale Zelko.jpg (614x768, 82K)
