Banja Luka incident

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Banja Luka incident

Feb. 28 1994 over Bosnian skies, a USAF F-16 flown by Capt. Robert G. "Wilbur" Wright is firing an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Lockheed Martin illustration by K. Price Randel)

Date	February 28, 1994
Location	near Banja Luka, Bosnia
Result	NATO victory

Belligerents

RV i PVO VRS

USAF

Strength

6 J-21 Jastrebs
2 J-22 Oraos

4+ F-16s

Casualties and losses

5 aircraft downed,^[1]^[2]but only 4^[3] recognized by AFSOUTH, NATO & USAF
3 pilots KIA
1 Injured
2 safe

none

v • d • e War in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Siege of Sarajevo – Foča massacres – Sarajevo ambush – Tuzla ambush – Višegrad – Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing – Ahmići – Neretva '93 – Banja Luka – 1st Markale – Bøllebank – Amanda – Tuzla – Mrkonjić Grad – Srebrenica massacre – Summer '95 – Tiger – Storm – 2nd Markale – NATO bombing – Mistral – Sana

The Banja Luka incident, February 28, 1994, was an incident in which six Republika Srpska Air Force-owned J-21 Jastreb single-seat light attack jets were engaged, and four of them shot down, by United States Air Force F-16s near Banja Luka, Bosnia.

NATO Airborne Early Warning aircraft (NAEW), while flying over Hungarian territory Under Operation Deny Flight on April 12, 1993, at 6:35 am., detected unknown tracks South of Banja Luka. Two NATO aircraft, U.S. Air Force F-16s, "Black 03" and "Black 04"^[4], of the 526th Fighter Squadron "Black Knights", 86th Fighter Wing based in Aviano, were vectored to the area and intercepted six J-21 Jastreb and two J-22 Orao aircraft who were attacking the "Bratstvo" military factory of Novi Travnik.^[5]

In accordance with the UN and NATO rules of engagement, orders to "land or exit the No-Fly Zone or be engaged" were issued twice but both warnings were ignored. While warnings were issued, the violating aircraft dropped bombs over their target. In such circumstances NATO has a "single key," meaning that only one clearance was needed, so the Combined Air Operations Center was immediately able to clear the F-16's to attack.

The Serbian Jastrebs headed northwards, back to their base. At 6:45 a.m., the NATO fighters engaged the planes. Captain Robert G. Wright fired his first AIM-120 AMRAAM, downing the first Jastreb which was flying at some 5,000 feet. The remaining Serbian Jastrebs dropped to a few hundred feet, flying at such a low level to use the mountainous terrain to hide from radar and make their escape back to Udbina. Capt. Wright pressed on, closing to within AIM-9 Sidewinder range. He fired two of his heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles, and they were seen to impact with the Serbian aircraft.

With his missiles all hitting their target but exhausted and low on fuel, Capt. Wright now handed over the chase to his wingman, Capt. Scott F. "Zulu" O'Grady, who had been flying top cover to his flight lead.

O'Grady dropped down to engage and fired a AIM-9M but it did not lock-on and missed. Black flight was now approaching "bingo fuel", the point at which a plane will not have enough fuel to return, so they pulled off to refuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker circling in orbit over the Adriatic. At the same time another pair of 526th Fighter Squadron F-16Cs, "Knight 25" and "Knight 26",^[6] had been vectored to the area and took over the intercept by the AWACS. At 6:50 am, "Knight 25" managed to get in behind the remaining 3 Jastrebs. He launched a Sidewinder, downing another Serb J-21 Jastreb.

By now the Serbs were close to the international border and the F-16s had to break off the pursuit because the NATO was not empowered to engage aircraft outside Bosnian airspace. The remaining aircraft ware able to land at Udbina Air Base in the Republic of Serbian Krajina in Croatia.

The USAF officially credited three kills to Captain Robert Gordon "Wilbur" Wright,^[7] flying F-16C-40 #89-2137/RS, using an AIM-120 AMRAAM and two AIM-9 Sidewinders; and one kill using an AIM-9 Sidewinder to Captain Stephen L. "Yogi" Allen ^[8] flying F-16C-40 #89-2009/RS^[9] of the same unit.

The Serbian pilots involved were:

Capt. 1st Class Ranko Vukmirović^[10]^[11] † KIA
Capt. 1st Class Zvezdan Pešić^[10]^[11] † KIA
Capt. 1st Class Goran Zarić^[10]^[11] ejected at low altitude, † KIA
Maj. Uroš Studen^[11] ejected near Jajce, survived
Capt. 1st Class Zlatko Mikerević^[11] ejected probably near the villages of Bravsko and Crkveno, 9 miles west of Kljuc, survived
Capt. 1st Class Zlatan Crnalić^[12]^[11] landed at Udbina Airport with his J-21 Jastreb Sr.nr. 24275 badly damaged, the aircraft later re-entered in service.