This is a discussion on Intresting article on the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Serbia within the Military History forums, part of the China Defense & Military category; stealth plane reasons or military spying for the serbs. Amazingly, of the 900 target packages executed during the Kosovo war, ...
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stealth plane reasons or military spying for the serbs.
Amazingly, of the 900 target packages executed during the Kosovo war, it transpired that the "mistaken bombing" was the only mission developed by the CIA.
Although the air war was nominally under NATO direction, the embassy mission (as well as several others) was flown as a strictly US operation using equipment based in the United States. [4]
A European defense publication reported:
It should be noted that, in an interview with the author, NATO spokesman Lee McClenny confirmed that the targeting information did not go through JTF NOBLE ANVIL, or any other NATO structure, in contrast to Tennet's [sic] official public statements. Instead, the co-ordinates were passed directly from the CIA to Whiteman Air Force Base, the home of the 509th Bomb Wing, where it was programmed into the JDAMs. Mr McClenny asserted that the entire process had remained 'Stateside', hence the failure of NATO staff to 'scrub' the target to check its accuracy, authenticity and location.
When asked, the CIA again asserted that the story given by Tennet [sic] to the House Committee was true, but claimed that the targeting information went from the CIA to the Pentagon to be processed. The Pentagon was only prepared to say that "some of the F-117 and B-2 missions were used as 'national assets' and therefore did not pass through NATO command structures", despite the requirement under the NATO charter to clear all missions carried out under NATO auspices with the NATO general council ... [Previously reported in Venik's Aviation web site, citing a May 2000 report in Air Forces Monthly; link no longer valid.]
A joint investigation by the British newspaper The Observer and Denmark's Politiken made the explosive allegation that the Chinese Embassy had been intentionally targeted to remove a key rebroadcast station directing the military activities of Slobodan Milosevic's forces in their struggle to resist NATO forces.
# A RAND study indicated that the only thing that kept the US from bombing the wreckage to flinders was the presence of a crowd of government officials, diplomats, journalists and gawkers at the crash site:
#
Heated arguments arose in Washington and elsewhere in the immediate aftermath of the shootdown over whether USEUCOM had erred in not aggressively having sought to destroy the wreckage of the downed F 117 in order to keep its valuable stealth technology out of unfriendly hands and eliminate its propaganda value ... Said a former commander of Tactical Air Command
"I'm surprised we didn't bomb it because the standard operating procedure has always been that when you lose something of real or perceived value - in this case, real technology, stealth - you destroy it." ... Reports indicated that military officials had at first considered destroying the wreckage but opted in the end not to follow through with the attempt because they could not have located it quickly enough to attack it before it was surrounded by civilians and the media. [8]Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business.In a memoir published in 2006, China's ambassador to Serbia, Pan Zhanlin, rather coyly intimated something very important had been extracted from the embassy in the chaotic aftermath of the attack:
The two comrades in charge of the embassy's important assets were Little Wang and Little Zheng. One slept in the duty office on the fifth floor, one slept in the dormitory on the fourth floor. Little Wang pierced through the dust and smoke and by the light of the flames descended from the fifth floor to the fourth floor.
At this time, Little Zheng emerged from the bedroom. Little Wang grabbed hold of Little Zheng and ran back upstairs. Little Zheng had already been injured and his face was flecked with blood. People who ran into them urgently asked: "Why are you going back up?" Little Wang replied: "There is something that needs doing. This is our job."
They picked up four cases of national important assets and battled through smoke and pierced through flames to get downstairs. The stairwell was cut off, they stumbled down to the third floor. Ahead of time, the embassy had made various preparations for an emergency, so these four cases of important things had already been prepared. If any untoward event had occurred, they could be picked up and moved immediately. They knew, these things were more important than life. [9]
Last edited by bd popeye; 01-28-2011 at 02:33 PM. Reason: Fix title
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My only question with the rebroadcast theory is what would possibly stop the Americans from simply calling out the Chinese? Were they trying to keep their sources safe? After the bombing, doubtless the Chinese would take a good long look at possible suspects anyway. Fear of escalating the war perhaps? Then why go out and bomb the embassy? I just don't know. I guess it really was related to stealth, or some other tech.
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Seem this whole informative article just confirmed the bombing wasn't because of the F117 wreckage, but rather of the radio signal coming out from China embassy. This what I been told before and now the article just double-confirms it.
"An article in the September 27, 1999, issue of Aviation Week and Space Technology reported, "A Russian official said that some parts had made their way to Moscow, but that the bulk of the airframe was shipped to China," a claim that "Pentagon analysts" dismissed "because "China ... doesn't have the industrial capability to benefit from either the design or the systems."Suggest the U.S. doesn't even care whether China had the wreckage or not.It is not unreasonable to assume that the Chinese got some pieces as well - despite the efforts of a "Pentagon analyst" to make the case that China's technological backwardness would disqualify them from any interest in owning some stealth wreckage.
edit: I'm more incline to believe China was trying to test out its anti-stealth tech during the time.
Last edited by bluewater2012; 01-28-2011 at 06:01 PM. Reason: some more thoughts
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To attack an embassy is like attacking that particular country invading it's sovereignty...Originally Posted by kyanges
Junior Member
Exactly.
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Sour grapes anyone?
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I'm more incline to believe China was trying to test out its anti-stealth tech during the time.
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How so?I'm more incline to believe China was trying to test out its anti-stealth tech during the time.
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Bombing a country's embassy just to protect a piece of technology? that's a little too far-fetched to me. In a war, it could happen. but in peace time? The political consequence of such action would be too unpredictable. Especially with the general impression of China being a secretive dictatorial nation, I don't think the US would risk unpredictable reactions from China for a few pieces of debris from a wreckage that had already been scavenged by many parties. I'm sure the CIA at the time already knew that multiuple pieces had been picked up and sold to agents from many countries, including China, Russia, etc. Destroying China's embassy will not stop the technology from being leaked and would potentially provoke China. I don't think anyone would do such thing.
Last edited by vesicles; 02-28-2011 at 11:26 AM.
Senior Member
Several factors to consider.
1) If the report was true, than this was a CIA op. The people 'on the Hill' may not have been briefed or even consulted to object.
2) Also, if the report was true, than it seems that China managed to get most or the most important parts of the F117, which would make it the prime target. If the Russians only got some RAM panelling (which according to the Chinese, were pretty obsolete even to them when they got them), it probably wasn't worth the effort or consequences to bomb the Russian embassy.
3) At that time, China was considerably weaker, and far less assertive in the application of its power. It is entirely possible someone in the CIA or Pentagon would have dismissed possible repercussions with, 'what are they going to do about it?' And it was true to some extent. At that time, America was still a firm believer of its own omnipotence and viewed China as weak and easily cowed. I have a theory that the bombing of the embassy made Beijing aware of its perceived image abroad, as well as removed any expectation that America will play by the rules when the stakes are high. Hence there has been a noticeable strengthening of its position from China diplomatically afterwards and redoubling of its military modernization, but I digress...
The rebroadcast station theory sounds weak at best. If the Chinese really were doing something like that, then I cannot see why the Pentagon or NATO would not present the evidence publicly and demand an explanation from the Chinese and/or demand that they stop. The chronological order of events also don't work, since stories of a rebroadcast station only appeared after the bombing, whereas you would expect it to be the reverse in a real event as opposed to a cover story.
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