1994 Serb Jastreb J-21 shootdown

On 28 February 1994, two pairs of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft shot down five J-21 Jastreb single-seat light attack jets piloted by Republika Srpska (RS) or Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina airspace after they had bombed an armaments factory at Novi Travnik during the Bosnian War. The NATO interception was conducted as part of Operation Deny Flight, with the shootdown constituting the first official combat action in NATO's history.

Six J-21s flew from Udbina air base in the self-proclaimed Croatian Serb proto-state within Croatia known as the RSK. Two Soko J-22 Orao ground attack aircraft were also involved in the attack, but their target was an arms factory at Bugojno and they completed their mission and returned to Udbina unscathed. The pilots were a mix of RS and RSK air force personnel. A British airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft detected the aircraft and, after their warning was ignored, tasked a pair of United States Air Force (USAF) General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcons on combat air patrol (CAP) to intercept. The fighters issued a further warning, and when it was ignored and the J-21s dropped their bombs, the F-16Cs engaged the aircraft as they fled for the Croatian border. One US pilot claimed three aircraft shot down, and when the first pair of F-16Cs departed to refuel, a second pair of F-16Cs engaged, shooting down another J-21. According to RS/RSK records, a fifth J-21 was also lost. Three pilots were killed and two ejected safely. The single surviving J-21 was badly damaged and conducted an emergency landing at Udbina. The three surviving pilots were later decorated.