NATO spokesmen speculated that in Kosovo itself, troop movements called withdrawals by the Serbs were actually efforts to regroup after attacks by NATO jets. That's heartening to NATO pilots, but the missions are anything but risk free. The Serbs have shot down just one NATO jet, out of nearly 20,000 sorties. But some pilots say the record is misleading. The pilots are fast becoming experts on spotting and evading SAMs.
Pilots frequently eject chaff and flares that disrupt the missile's homing system.
If that doesn't work, they may have to wait until seconds before a SAM is about to catch up to them and then do an evasive maneuver. In order to slip away from a SAM, which is faster than a fighter jet, pilots often have to jettison the external fuel tanks that hang under each wing. The experience induces more humility than bravado. NATO, of course, hopes Yugoslavia will capitulate before the odds narrow. That is one reason the alliance is stepping up the bombing.