B-2 Bombers First Deployed in Serbia 1999: Rumors of Downed Plane Over Belgrade

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The B-2 bombers of the U.S. Air Force, which recently targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22, made their first operational appearance during NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999. Although B-1 Lancer aircraft were used in Operation Desert Shield and later Operation Desert Storm during the 1991 Gulf War, the first real combat missions for both B-1 and B-2 bombers occurred in present-day Serbia in 1999. NATO’s Operation Allied Force, often mistakenly referred to as ‘Merciful Angel,’ marked the inaugural demonstration of these bombers’ capabilities. Six B-2 bombers participated in the Yugoslav bombings, flying from Whiteman Air Force Base in the U.S., with flights lasting approximately 30 hours. Targets included military installations in southern Serbia and Kosovo, such as the underground airbase in Pristina and military complexes in Jakovica and Urosevac. Leaked NATO data from 2004 claims that B-2 actions destroyed 30% of Yugoslav artillery and tanks in Kosovo and 80% of military installations in central Serbia. Rumors persist about a B-2 bomber, specifically the ‘Spirit of Missouri,’ being shot down near Belgrade in late May 1999 by surface-to-air missiles from the Batajnica military airport. Eyewitness accounts suggest it crashed in Croatia, though no official sources confirm this. The only verified incident remains the downing of an F-117 stealth aircraft over Vojvodina on March 27, 1999.