EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Sunday, March 28, 1999-09:45CST

CRISIS NEWS BRIEFS

ALBANIA/SERBIA (EmergencyNet News) - Thousands of ethnic Albanians fleeing Kosovo on Saturday told of roundups, forced expulsions and other brutal treatment by the Serbs. A line of refugees stretched for a mile across the Albanian border at Morini, watched by about ten Yugoslav army soldiers holding machine guns. The refugees said tens of thousands more were following them.

SERBIA (EmergencyNet News) - A U.S. F-117 stealth warplane crashed during NATO air raids on Yugoslavia as the alliance widened its assaults on Yugoslav targets to include tanks and troops killing and expelling Kosovo's ethnic Albanians. The Pentagon said it was not yet clear what had caused the crash. Yugoslav authorities said their forces had shot down the subsonic Nighthawk about 25 miles west of Belgrade on Saturday night.

SERBIA (EmergencyNet News) - A U.S. pilot was dramatically rescued from behind enemy lines after his Stealth fighter crashed in flames during the latest NATO air raids on Yugoslavia. The flyer was reported safe and well -- as were his rescuers -- after being airlifted to a NATO base following a dramatic rescue mission late on Satturday night.

APentagon spokesman said that the F-117 fighter bomber, armed with laser-guided bombs, was reported missing at 2000 hours last night after it left the NATO base at Aviano in Italy. The burning wreckage of the aircraft was later shown on Serbian television, lying in a field near Budjanovci, 30 miles west of Belgrade.  About six hours elapsed before the jet was confirmed missing and speculation increased over the fate of the pilot. It later emerged that official U.S. silence had masked a behind-the-scences rescue operation.

The Pentagon said it was not yet known whether the single-seater jet, one of the most sophisticated warplanes in the world, was shot down by Serb defenses. While NATO was awaiting confirmation that the aircraft had been lost, U.S. military chiefs ordered in a combat rescue team to locate the downed pilot. The rescuers, a joint U.S. services team, entered enemy territory and recovered the pilot.

The Pentagon refused to give any details about the rescue mission, citing security issues involving any possible future rescue operations.  .

Military chiefs signalled phase two of the campaign by ordering direct strikes on Serb security forces in Kosovo. Their decision to step up attacks in the strife-torn province followed horrific reports of Serb atrocities against ethnic Albanians. About 20,000 refugees from Kosovo have entered northern Albania, after Serb paramilitaries and irregulars went on a killing spree in revenge at the NATO action.

Serb troops, tanks and artillery directly involved in the operation in Kosovo will now become priority targets for alliance pilots and Tomahawk Cruise missiles for the first time since attacks began on Wednesday.

NATO launched fresh strikes against Serb forces on Saturday evening, with reports of a massive explosion in the center of Belgrade. A senior alliance official said a U.S. Navy cruise missile had struck near the capital.

Serbia's news agency Tanjug said NATO planes had fired two shells in the vicinity of Belgrade's civilian Surcin airport. It quoted witnesses as saying all the windows of the airport building had been shattered by the blasts.

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

SERBIA/BOSNIA (EmergencyNet News) - The successful rescue of a NATO pilot who crashed during a bombing mission to Kosovo was the result of a highly technical and intricately planned operation. The USAF F-117A stealth fighter came down last night, but within hours, the pilot was rescued and returned safely to an Allied air base in Italy.

Recovery of a pilot from a hostile environment is a requirement during any operation. The arrangements in this kind of situation are shared by the NATO nations depending on who has what and where at the time. Contingency measures are in place and an operation can be launched very quickly. A very sophisticated team is deployed in these missions.

Specific details of Saturday night's mission were not released, however, a similar rescue was carried out during the Bosnian crisis after fighter pilot Scott O'Grady was shot down in enemy territory. Captain O'Grady, now retired from the U.S. Air Force, was rescued from behind enemy lines after enduring nearly six days in the Bosnian countryside. He was shot down in his F-16 by a Bosnian Serb SA6 missile over Banja Luka on 2 June 1995. After five days, Captain O'Grady managed to send a radio signal which was picked up by NATO forces and the rescue operation was launched immediately.

Forty members of a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) team took off in helicopters at dawn for northwest Bosnia. TRAP teams range in size from 18 to 50 men but generally have 40 Marines and include a command element and communications personnel, as well as the combat and rescue unit. The specially trained Marines were carried in two CH-53 Sea Stallions which are designed for long-range rescue operations.

These specialized helicopters are able to fly in day or night at low altitudes and are equipped with extra fuel tanks. The CH-53s were protected by two AH1 Cobra helicopters flying just above them and above them, were two Harrier jump-jets and a range of other NATO combat aircraft.

The skill and bravery of the rescue teams can make the difference between life and death for a pilot behind enemy lines. However, it is ultimately often dependant upon the individual pilot's own  E&E (Escape and Evasion) skills.

Being stranded behind enemy lines is a fighting man's worst fear, but all air crews operating over Kosovo are taught to deal with the physical and psychological challenges. All pilots are taught basic survival techniques like how to conceal themselves, how to find food and how to navigate on land by both day and night.

The first few minutes after a pilot hits the ground are crucial. It is important to think fast, move as quickly as possible from the crash site and find somewhere to hide. Rugged terrain, mountainous areas and woods can all be assets to a trained pilot behind enemy lines, offering many opportunities for concealment.

Every NATO pilot is equipped with a radio beacon which can help rescue teams locate and confirm his position in an emergency. They also carry survival kits which include a handgun, food, a compass and, in some cases they even carry a foreign language phrasebook for the area in which they are flying.

Captain O'Grady had moved only at night to evade capture and sent only occasional radio signals to conserve batteries and prevent his detection by the enemy. In his book, "Return With Honor," he describes how he ate insects and grass and drank rainwater to stay alive.

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