Pentagon officials say any NATO-led attack would almost certainly begin with a volley of ship-launched cruise missiles, designed to wipe out air defenses throughout Kosovo and parts of Serbia. Some bigger-punch cruise missiles from B-52's also could be lobbed against highly defended targets. After the air defenses were shredded, additional bombing runs would target armored units, headquarters, weapons and fuel depots, communications nodes, trucks "and anything that allows Milosevic to attack the Kosovars," in the words of one Air Force officer.

The U.S.-led air force consists of some 250 American warplanes -- including 12 F-117 "stealth" fighters and seven B-52 bombers -- and nearly 150 aircraft from other nations. The Pentagon doesn't have an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, thanks to budget cuts, but there are six warships capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles. (View pictures and stats of the weapons on CNN's NATO Arsenal Databank.)

Intensive surveillance using U-2 spy planes and other intelligence assets over the past six months has provided what Air Force planners call a "target-rich environment" and a close map of Milosevic's forces. The Pentagon reports that there are 15,000 Yugoslavian troops inside Kosovo, and another 20,000 stationed just outside the province's borders.

NATO pilots would face strong defenses on the ground. The Yugoslav army has roughly 1,850 AAA anti-aircraft artillery, mostly of Soviet design, and 60 surface-to-air-missiles (SAMS). Among the Yugoslav SAMs is the SA-6, a particularly dangerous missile, since it doesn't need to rely on the electronic emissions that can betray a target's position.

From TIME Digital: High-Tech Combat in Kosovo