NATO intensifies its air campaign, flying 600-plus sorties a day. Some aircraft have started to operate at lower levels. Serb air defences evident with numerous SAM launches and AAA activity. Short helicopter flights observed. NATO accused of killing civilians in mistakenly destroying two civilian buses. The alliance admits one of the strikes. USAF loses an F-16 in north western Serbia, while an A-10 diverts to Skopje, Macedonia, with engine problems caused by AAA. Training losses include a USMC AV-8B Harrier in the Adriatic, while a second AH-64A Apache from Task Force Hawk crashes, killing the crew. US F-16 shot down a MiG-29 near Valjevo, the alliance's sixth air-to-air victory over the fighter. For the first time the USA employs the GBU-28 2,100kg (4,700lb) penetrating warhead weapon (from an F-15E) against underground storage at Pristina airfield. New "graphite bombs" caused electrical short circuits in transformers and power lines. US defence secretary William Cohen orders another 176 aircraft to Europe boosting the number of US aircraft involved to over 800. UK damage assessment says that over 80 Serb military aircraft have been destroyed from initial total of 450, including 25% of MiG-21s and MiG-29s. Nine of 17 military airfields are damaged.
Source: Flight International
