Serbia receives four MiG-29 fighter jets from Belarus

Serbia’s army has received four MiG-29 fighter jets from Belarus. Serbia is currently operating 14 MiG-29.Six MiG-29 fighter jets reached Serbia in October 2017. Now the warplanes are to be modernized in three stages. The country plans to spend a sum from 180 million to 230 million euro for these purposes. Along with MiG-29 fighter jets, Russia’s assistance to Serbia will include 30 T-72 tanks and 30 BRDM-2 combat patrol vehicles.
tass

Serbia to buy S-300 missile systems, MiG-29 jets from Belarus

The Serbian Ministry of Defenee is planning to purchase S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems and seven Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets from Belarus.
The deals are to be signed this November during an official visit by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Minsk where he will meet with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, a Serbian government source told local daily Tanjug.
The unnamed official said that “the offer that is on the table and which will be announced in November is much more favorable than the one that we obtained from Moscow.”
The value of the planned deal was not disclosed.
defensenews

Serbia Takes Delivery Of First Of Six MiG-29 Fighters From Russia

A transport plane has delivered two Russian MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia, the initial shipment of a six-jet deal that could add to East-West tensions in the Balkans.
The warplanes arrived disassembled aboard a massive Antonov An-124 transport plane that landed at a military airport in the Belgrade suburb of Batajnica on October 2.
The MiGs are being provided by Moscow at no charge, but their assembly, repair, and refurbishing costs are expected to near $235 million in total.
The four other jets are set to arrive sometime before October 20, when they are likely to be displayed in Belgrade during a Liberation Day parade. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is scheduled to attend.
In March, Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic, then prime minister and now president, confirmed earlier reports that Russia would provide the six MiG-29 fighters "as a gift."
He added that the planes would enter military service by the end of 2017 after refurbishing and pilot training.
Russia also committed to provide 30 T-72 tanks and 30 BRDM-2 patrol combat vehicles to Serbia for free.
Vucic said on October 2 that Serbia also planned to improve its defenses and has been negotiating with Moscow for the purchase of Russian-made S-300 antiaircraft systems.
rferl

Serbia in Talks With Russia over Acquisition of Six MiG-29

The Serbian government is in talks with Russia over a potential acquisition of six Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets and an undisclosed amount of armored vehicles.
The discussed procurements are to intensify Serbia’s military cooperation with Russia, which also offered to sell Belgrade Buk anti-aircraft missile systems on mobile launchers. However, Serbian officials said they cannot afford to purchase the systems, which cost about $60 million per battalion, a government source in Belgrade told local daily Vecernje Novosti.
The Serbian Ministry of Defence considers acquiring new aircraft as one of its top procurement priorities, as the Serbian air force's existing fighter jet fleet is expected to lose its operational capacity in the next two to three years. Should Belgrade decide to obtain the MiG-29s from Moscow, the aircraft are to be overhauled and modernized by the Russian defense industry under a deal estimated to be worth about $50 million.
defensenews

Russia and Serbia To Discuss MiG-35 Sale

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin arrived in Belgrade on Saturday evening.
He was taking part in a meeting of the Serbia-Russia Intergovernmental Committee for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation on January 11-12 but unofficially, one of the reasons for this visit is Serbia's intention to buy MiG-35 warplanes from Russia.
b92.net

Russia, Serbia to Carry Out Joint Air Force Drills

Military pilots from Russia and Serbia will conduct joint training exercises in September 2015, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
Pilots from both countries will represent tactical and ground-support units in mixed crews.
Aircrew on MiG-29 fighters will perform tasks to intercept air targets, while Mi-8 military transport and combat helicopters will work on tactical landings, covering ground units from the air, firing missiles at ground targets at the site, as well as aircrew search and rescue operations.
Aspiring EU member Serbia has maintained friendly relations with Russia despite the European Union’s numerous sanctions against Moscow, including in the military field, over its alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
sputniknews

Serbia's MiG-29s return to flight ops

Serbia's fleet of three MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighters returned to flight operations on 2 September after an urgent delivery of batteries from Russia ended a three-month grounding.
Speaking on 31 August, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said: "We published a tender for procurement of batteries but on the personal insistence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, these batteries have been donated to us. Our planes will be fully operational again in 36 hours and we will have full sovereignty over Serbian skies".
Problems with logistical support for MiG fighters also occurred in 2013, when Vucic was Minister of Defence, with Serbian MiG-29s grounded for a few months due to a slow, bureaucratic logistical system that often caused a lack of simple but crucial spare parts such as ejection seats explosive charges, tyres, and other consumables, including fuel.
The three MiG-29s returned to service are a pair of single-seat MiG-29B and a sole MiG-29UB twin-seater aircraft. The single-seat aircraft perform Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties out of Batajnica air base, near Belgrade.
The battery problem arose from Russia's objection to the possibility of India-made batteries being installed on the aircraft, after India won the tender for the purchase with an offer two-thirds cheaper than the Russian one. Faced with possibly losing other critical Russian maintenance and logistical support services for Serbia's MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters, the Serbian Ministry of Defence stopped the procurement. As a result the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence was left without batteries. The last airworthy Serbian MiG-29 ceased flying on 24 May.
After Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic made an urgent appeal in Moscow to borrow batteries, Putin agreed to donate them instead.
Serbia depends on Russia when it comes to its small fleet of operational MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters. With significant Russian assistance in 2007 and 2008, the local Aeronautical Plant 'Moma Stanojlovic' started a general overhaul, a 750 hour/10 year life cycle extension, and limited modernisation on all five Serbian MiG-29s that survived NATO bombardment of 1999.
Four MiG-29s have been upgraded so far with one of them, a single-seat MiG-29B, lost in a fatal crash in 2009. The final single-seat MiG-29B, still being overhauled at 'Moma Stanojlovic', may never fly again because of serious structural problems with its airframe.
The small MiG-29 fleet is supplemented by an outdated life cycle-expired fleet of 19 MiG-21bis and 9 MiG-21UM 'Fishbed' fighters. Of these only a pair of MiG-21bis and a single MiG-21UM are still fit for service, although only one of them is usually airworthy at any given moment.
These obsolete 30-year-old airframes are kept operational with Russian help, in the form of scheduled inspections and time-limited on-condition life cycle extensions by Russian engineers.
Serbia's plans to use a recently announced Russian loan of almost USD1.5 billion for the procurement of MiG-29M/M2 fighters, Mi-17/171 helicopters, 3D-surveillance radars, and S-300PMU2 or S-350E and Pantsir-S1E air defence systems turned into fiasco when, during a visit to Moscow, Gasic revealed that the Russian loan for modernising Serbia's Armed Forces had been frozen and that a planned purchase of new fighters had been delayed.
This has raised questions about the future of the supersonic element of Serbia's Air Force, given its few remaining MiG-21s will soon be unserviceable and its MiG-29s will reach the end of their service lives in 2018.
janes

Russia donates parts for Serbian MiG-29 jets

Late on Saturday, a Russian military transport plane airlifted to Serbia a new batch of aid, including accumulators for MiG jets.
“We announced a tender, but Russian President Vladimir Putin personally insisted on donating them (accumulators),” the president said, adding that his country “will for the first time over a long period get full control over the Serbian air” in terms of “police patrolling”.
inserbia

Serbia Looks to Buy Several MiG-29 Fighters From Russia

Serbia is planning to buy several MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum fighter jets from Russia, and Serbian pilots are already being trained in flying the aircraft.
en.ria.ru

Serbia nears new order for MiG-29s

Serbia is close to finalising a deal with Russia for the purchase of military equipment including six RAC MiG-29M/M2 multirole fighters and two Mil Mi-17 helicopters, according to local media reports.

flightglobal

New Serbian Trainer / Attack Aircraft, KOVAC

KOBAC (Sparrowhawk) is a new light military trainer aircraft being developed by UTVA. It is a light attack / counter-insurgency (COIN) variant of the LASTA trainer aircraft. The KOBAC aircraft is primarily developed for advanced training in all weather conditions and equipped with the capability to conduct border patrols and strikes against ground-based targets.
The aircraft will be used for the basic training, advanced school-combat training, aerobatics, instrument and tactical flying. The KOBAC aircraft will also be deployed in close air support, counter insurgency and reconnaissance missions.
The KOBAC concept was demonstrated for the first time to the senior military officials in April 2012. A prototype of the aircraft was unveiled to the public in September 2012 during the Batajnica 2012 Air Show, marking the 100 years of Serbian military aviation.
The maiden flight of the first prototype is scheduled for 2013.

airforce-technology

Serbian air force marks centenary

Held at Batajnica air base near Belgrade on 2 September, the Serbian air force's centennial air show attracted visiting aircraft from Russia and the Italian and US air forces, along with flight demonstrations involving the host nation's assets.

Highlights included a formation of five of the Serbian air force's newly-delivered Utva Lasta trainers, a tactical demonstration involving four Soko J-22 Oraos and six Soko G-4 Super Galebs, and a mock dogfight involving two RAC MiG-29s and a MiG-21, along with solo displays.

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