Zoltán Dani

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Zoltán Dani
Yugoslavia
Allegiance	SFR Yugoslavia (1978–1992)   FR Yugoslavia (1992–2003)  Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2004)
Years of service	1978–2004
Rank	250th Missile Brigade
Battles/wars	Kosovo War

Zoltán Dani (

.

Dani was the commander of the 3rd battery of the

system. He was initially unknown to the public and aliased with the name Gvozden Đukić. However, upon retiring from the military, he revealed his identity.

Dani claimed that his battery also shot down a NATO F-16.^[1] Although NATO initially claimed the loss was due to "mechanical failure";^[2] the F-16's pilot recounted that his aircraft was hit by a SAM.^[3]

Since retiring from military service, Dani has opened a bakery and a family restaurant in his native village Skorenovac.^[1] He is of Hungarian ancestry; his paternal family were Hungarians from Székelys of Bukovina, who like the majority of inhabitants of the village, settled in Vojvodina in the late 19th century, while his mother was also of Hungarian ancestry.^[4]

Preparations for the Kosovo War

Based on

tank chassis respectively in the 1990s).

Therefore, Dani trained his SA-3 unit to achieve a 90-minute equipment break-down time with minimal lighting provided for better camouflage, one hour better than the standard time. Further set-up and break-down time reductions were achieved by reducing the SA-3 unit's number of active 5P73 launchers and V-601M missiles to just 2x2 from the original 4x4 configuration.

This reduction in missile capability was justified, because of the expected strictly limited time slots and occasions where a Yugoslav SAM battery could open fire in face of a tremendous NATO Wild Weasel capability, with any hope of self-preservation. The lean use of SAMs also became a necessity later on, as the initial 24 March 1999, 20:20 NATO air strike destroyed eighty reloads of ready to use V-601M missiles stored in two concrete vaults at the Jakovo SAM base.

Dani made it a strict field rule that the SA-3's UNV type

HARM missile counter-strikes from NATO aircraft, suffering radar equipment and personnel losses.

In order to train personnel to operate efficiently under such pressures, Dani obtained access to an "Accord" electronic signal

of being targeted by enemy aircraft.

It was decided two missiles would be launched against any target near simultaneously, in order to maximize hit probability. Unusually, launches were to be conducted against NATO aircraft that had already accomplished their ground strike missions and were about to leave Yugoslav airspace. Their northern heading was pointing away from the direction of powerful NATO airborne jammer sources, thereby allowing the SA-3's un-modernized UNV fire control radar set to operate with less interference.

Dani's mobility rule was strictly observed in his unit, with the trucks relocating frequently during the 78 days of the Kosovo War, as they constantly shuttled missiles, radars and equipment among the dozen alternative launch sites, most of them embankments left over from already phased out SA-2 (S-75) units.

Radar sets obtained from confiscated

planes were planted around the SAM sites to serve as active emitter decoys, which diverted some anti-radiation missiles from the actual targets (dozens of Iraqi MiG-21/23 warplanes, sent to Yugoslavia for industrial overhaul, were seized in 1991, after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait). Retired SAM radar sets were used as optical decoys, left at well-known military bases to lure NATO warplanes to waste munition on worthless targets. Owing to these measures, Dani's unit evaded 23 incoming HARM missiles, all of which impacted off-site with insignificant or zero damages.

General surveillance of NATO aircraft was provided by vintage

aircraft from 125 to 200 km, depending on the target's size, but with a high range inaccuracy of several hundred meters.

Dani tuned his P-18 to the lowest possible frequency, hoping that meter band waves would reflect from the inside of targets, rendering

devices did not cover such a very low frequency band.

Dani initially claimed that four major capacitors had been replaced in the P-18, to further increase the wavelength. However, he later admitted that no such modifications had been made, and that his story was a "marketing trick."[5]

The stealth kill

On the particular night of the

electronic jammer and "Wild Weasel" anti-SAM aircraft launches during the late evening. Therefore, any F-117s in the air on that night were alone in the dark, but with high crew morale due to their invulnerability during previous day's sorties.

In the evening, Dani's P-18 long-distance radar set malfunctioned at 19:05, almost the same time when four F-117s prepared for take-off from Aviano Air Base to attack targets in Belgrade. The repaired P-18 radar returned to air by 19:50 and started to emit lower frequency. Lt. Col. Dale Zelko's plane (tail number 82-0806) and three other F-117 flying northbound were acquired at 20:40 local time and so the SA-3 battery's fire control radar went on air. The UNV radar emitted at high frequency for 2 x 20 seconds, but it was unable to obtain a lock on the targets.

Dani then ordered a third illumination round, against his own rules, but knowing that NATO lacked immediate counterstrike capability on the particular occasion. Lock was obtained at a distance of 13 km and an altitude of 8 km. Two SA-3 missiles were launched in short succession, with one obtaining a

helicopters. The F-117's large kite-shaped titanium engine outlet heatshield is still kept by Dani in his garage.

Further combat activity

Dani also claims that his unit downed the commander's F-16 plane from the Aviano-based

, decided to turn back and attack, but this proved a mistake, as two missiles were already underway and one hit his plane. Dani was not actually in the combat shift (for a unit to provide 24h/day readiness the crew is divided in 3 shifts) when the shootdown occurred. The shift was commanded by Maj. Boško Dotlić.

The radio signal logs of unit 250/3 contain two further proximity fuse activation pings beyond the F-117 and F-16 shootdown events, indicating that either extra NATO aircraft were hit or

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

, although Dani was of the opinion that they hit a towed decoy instead.

In media

Ten years after the events, the

]

A documentary movie The 21st Second was made about Zoltán Dani.[8] Dani also participated in the documentary movie The Second Meeting, where he met Dale Zelko, the F-117 pilot he had shot down.^[9][10]

Politics

Dani was a Socialist Party of Serbia candidate in the 2022 general election, positioned 26th on the SPS ballot list.^[11] He assumed his position as a Member of the National Assembly on August 1, 2022.^[12]

References

Sources