| Serbian Air Force and Air Defence | |
|---|---|
| Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије | |
 Emblem of the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence | |
| Founded | 1912 (current form since 2006) |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare Aerial defence |
| Size | 3,000 (2021 est.)[1] |
| Part of | Serbian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Belgrade |
| Mottos | For Freedom and Honour of the Fatherland (Serbian:За слободу и част Отаџбине,romanized: Za slobodu i čast Otadžbine) |
| Anniversaries | 24 December |
| Engagements | Balkan Wars World War I |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of the Air Staff | Lieutenant general Duško Žarković |
| Air Force Sergeant Major | Warrant officer 1st class Saša Sailović |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Fin flash |  |
| Flag |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | J-22 |
| Fighter | MiG-29 |
| Helicopter | Mi-35,Mi-17,H145M,Gazelle |
| Trainer | G-4,Lasta 95 |
| Transport | C-295,An-26 |
TheSerbian Air Force and Air Defence (Serbian:Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије,romanized: Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije,lit. 'War Aviation and Anti-Aircraft Defence of the Serbian Armed Forces'), is theair force ofSerbia and service branch of theSerbian Armed Forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Serbian airspace, and jointly with theSerbian Army, to protect territorial integrity of the country.
Serbian Air Force was established in 1912, thus making Serbia one of the first fifteen states in the world to have an air force. It was subsequently absorbed into the air forces of variousYugoslav states between 1918 and 2006.[2]
The idea to form air forces in theRoyal Serbian Army was first mentioned in the General Army Formation Act from 2 August 1893. This act envisioned that within each division of the Army be formed one air force balloon company.
The first aviation pioneer in Serbia was Lieutenant Kosta Miletić (1874–1953), trained as aballoon pilot at the Technical Aeronautical School in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from 1901 to 1902.[3][4] On the recommendation of Miletić, the Royal Serbian Army posed messenger pigeon stations and bought two free spherical and one tied kite balloon from the August Ridinger company from German city of Augsburg. At the reception ceremony, on 19 April 1909, Kosta Miletić flew a spherical balloon called "Srbija". One balloon was provided from Russia. A gas chamber was ordered from the Dillmann company in Berlin, and a field winch from Saint Petersburg. A hydrogen unit was provided from the Swiss company Oerlikon. The equipment was delivered to Serbia in 1909 and 1910.[citation needed]
The first competition for cadet airmen was opened in 1911, and in the following year the first class of Serbian pilots started their flying training in France and got the rank of pilot. They finished the course at the beginning of theFirst Balkan War with aircraft and theballoons that had already been obtained prior to the outbreak of war.[5] In the autumn of 1912, Serbia got the aircraft for its armed forces. and on 24 September 1912 by the Act of the Minister of ArmyRadomir Putnik, an Aviation Command was established in Niš. Serbian Aviation (Srpska avijatika) comprised the Aircraft Detachment (which counted 12 aircraft), the Balloon Company, thepigeon post and theairbase. This date is regarded as the official founding of the Serbian Air Force.
The First Balkan War broke out in October 1912; Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia waged it against theOttoman Empire. In this war, the Serbian Aviation Command had its first combat experience. In February 1913, the High Command of the Royal Serbian Army formed an expeditionary Coastal Airplane Detachment in order to aid the Montenegrin army against Ottoman troops who were reinforced at the town ofShkodra near theAdriatic coast. Air support for this formation was assigned to the newly established Coastal Airplane Squad, the first Serbian air combat unit, with 4 airplanes (Blériot XI one-seater, Blériot XI two-seater,Deperdussin TT andFarman HF.20) and 5 pilots under the command of Major Kosta Miletić. In March 1913, this combat air unit was relocated near the frontline at a newly built auxiliary airfield in the village of Barbalusi. The firstreconnaissance flight was made on 20 March, by Lieutenant Živojin Stanković and Sergeant Mihajlo Petrović. In this combat-reconnaissance flight on his Farman HF.20 over the Shkodra Front on 20 March 1913, SergeantMihajlo Petrović was killed, thus becoming the first casualty in the history of the Serbian military aviation and the second one in world aviation history.Mihajlo Petrović, the first trained Serbian airplane pilot, completed his training at the famous Farman pilot school in France and was awarded the international FAI license no. 979 in June 1912; his Serbian pilot's license carries the number 1.[4] The next day, pilots Lieutenant Živojin Stanković and SergeantMiodrag Tomić successfully completed their first reconnaissance flights, and in the following days, pilots Miloš Ilić, Stanković and Tomić dropped a number of small bombs and conducted reconnaissance flights.
After Bulgaria attacked Serbia at Bregalnica, theSecond Balkan War began. The first reconnaissance mission had been performed by Miodrag Tomić, and after that Tomić and Stanković took turns and during a period of a month and a half, as the war with Bulgarians lasted, the two airmen performed 21 reconnaissance missions, of which Tomić did 14 flights. During one flight above Kriva Palanka, Tomić encountered a Bulgarian plane in the air, but neither one had weapons and they just greeted one another by hand waving.
General mobilization in the summer of 1914 found the Serbian Aeroplane Wing not well prepared. The Aeroplane Wing had only 9 aeroplanes of which 7 were in flying condition. Five planes and three pilots were relocated to the auxiliary Dabića airfield. From that airfield, Captain Živojin Stanković and 2nd Lieutenant Miodrag Tomić on 13 August 1914 commenced their first reconnaissance flights in theWorld War I. Tomić took off from the airfield at Jevremovac on 27 August. Above Mišar he encountered an enemy plane Parabellum which opened fire on Tomić, who did not expect this but he avoided it with an appropriate and fast maneuver, so the plane did not sustain any hits. It was probably the first exchange of fire between aircraft in history.[6] Serbian pilots who were actually skilled and experienced from the Balkan Wars had succeeded to give the valuable information about the number, the movements, and the position of the enemy troops. They contributed to early Serbian victories in 1914 atCer Mountain,Kolubara andDrina river. At the beginning of 1915, armed with machine guns and bombs, Serbian pilots succeeded to fight back the enemy by attacking their aircraft flying over the Serbian sovereign territory or by bombing the important targets in the background positions. Because ofair superiority of theAustro-Hungarian Aviation Troops over the Serbian Front, in March 1915 the French squadron (Escadrille MF 99 S) arrived under command of Captain Roger Vitrat to aid the Serbian Aeroplane Wing. The French squadron held the frontline from Smederevo to Loznica, and the Serbian wing from Smederevo to Golubac. After the conquest of Serbia by theCentral Powers in the autumn of 1915 and the great retreat of the Serbian army to the Greek island ofCorfu, theSalonica front was formed. During the invasion on Serbia in October 1915,Manfred von Richthofen ("Red Baron") was commenced its first combat flight as a pilot. Also, in the autumn of 1915, the firstmedical transport of the wounded and sick in world aviation history was conducted in Serbia. One of the ill soldiers in that first medical transport wasMilan Stefanik, a Czechoslovakian pilot-volunteer.[7] In June 1916 the reconstituted Serbian army sailed from Corfu and joined the French and British atThessaloniki. At the Salonica front line, with the support of the Allied forces, the Serbian Aeroplane Wing was reorganized. From mid-1916 to 1918 at the Serbian part of the new established frontline, five squadrons (N521, N522, N523, N524 and N525) were operated and were staffed mostly of French and Serbian personnel. These air force units were officially known as the Serbian Army Air Service and were attached to the Supreme Command of Royal Serbian Army which was a part of Allied Macedonian Army.[8] In the beginning of 1918 the new reorganisation was started when the 1st Squadron was formed on 17 January, and the 2nd Squadron on 1 May 1918, staffed with Serbian personnel.
Serbia formed on 8 June 1915 one of the first air defense and air warning units in the world. This was due to the massive onslaught of German and Austro-Hungarian aircraft. The first airplane shot down by ground fire unit in World War I happened over skies of Serbia. During the German air attack on city ofKragujevac on 30 September 1915, air defense artillerist Radivoje-Raka Lutovac from "Tanasko Rajić" Regiment, shot his first hit, by his artillery modified gun, aFarman airplane with two crew members.
The period between two world wars was marked by a significant growth of Air Force, accompanied by the production of modern and sophisticated aircraft, with then ongoing organizational-formation changes within the Air Force. With the establishment of theKingdom of Yugoslavia, an Army Aviation Department was formed out of Serbian and ex-Austro-Hungarian (Croatian and Slovenian) personnel. In 1923, a major initiative was launched to replace World War I era aircraft still in service with more modern designs. Contracts were placed abroad and with newly established local factories. The Aviation Department was renamed the Aviation Command and placed directly under the control of the Ministry of Military and Navy. In 1930, the Aviation Command was renamed theRoyal Yugoslav Air Force (Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo).
The attacking forces engaged in theApril War (6 to 17 April 1941) were 2,373 aircraft strong, including 1,212 aircraft from Germany, 647 from Italy and 287 from Hungary, while the Royal Yugoslav Air Force had 494 airplanes, only 269 of a modern type. Thus the ratio in the beginning of operations was 5:1 in favor of the Axis powers, and if counting only modern Yugoslav aircraft the ratio climbs to 7:1 in favor of the Axis powers. In spite of huge logistic difficulties and acts of treason (proclamation of the puppet-stateIndependent State of Croatia on 10 April 1941) the Royal Yugoslav Air Force fulfilled its duties with honor. Yugoslav airmen (5th and 6th Fighter Regiment pilots especially) fought courageously against an enemy superior both technically and numerically. During the war operations a total of 1,416 take-offs was made, 993 of which were performed by fighters and 423 by bombers. During this short war 135 flight crew members and 576 ground personnel lost their lives. About 300 Royal Yugoslav Air Force personnel evacuated, first toGreece then toCrete.[9] After theBattle of Crete they went on to the deserts of theNear and Middle East, where for a short time they found a safe place. In June 1941 the 20th Hydroaviation Squadron under command of Lieutenant Vladeta Petrović with their no surrenderwar flag was renamed in the2nd Yugoslav Squadron, attached toNo. 230 Squadron RAF.[10][11] Up until 23 April 1942 the squadron flew 912 combat mission (1,760 flying hours) and lost four aircraft. The main mission of the squadron was anti-submarine patrol and protected allied shipping.
After World War II the Air Force underwent several developmental stages, the first major air force modernization being performed from 1953 to 1959. Aircraft made in the West (such as GermanDornier Do 28) were introduced thus broaching the era of jet aviation. With the forming of first helicopter squadron in 1954 the chopper units were also incorporated within the reorganised Air Forces branch, renamed toYugoslav Air Force (Jugoslovensko ratno vazduhoplovstvo). At the beginning of 1960s Soviet supersonic fighterMiG-21 was introduced, followed by intensive growth of Yugoslav aviation industry in that period. A number of jet planes prototypes were constructed, which served as basis for the development of training fighters and fighter aircraft, such asSoko G-2 Galeb andJ-21 Jastreb,G-4 Super Galeb andSoko J-22 Orao as well as the most advanced Soviet fighter aircraftMiG-29, was introduced in the late 1980s.
In June 1991 the Slovenes resistance to re-imposition of federal control over Slovenia rapidly escalated into an armed conflict with Yugoslav People's Army. During theTen-Day War inSlovenia two Yugoslav Air Force helicopters were shot down, while it launched air strikes on TV transmitters and Slovenian territorial defence positions. During theWar in Croatia, the Yugoslav Air Force was active providing transport and close air support missions to Yugoslav Ground Forces, but was gradually forced to abandon air bases outside of ethnic Serbian held areas. The Yugoslav Air Force equipment in Bosnia and Herzegovina was given to the newRepublika Srpska Air Force and used during theWar in Bosnia. In 1991 and 1992, the Yugoslav Air Force lost a total of 46 airplanes and helicopters in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.[12] The bulk of the Yugoslav Air Force was inherited by the newly-formedAir Force of Serbia and Montenegro in 1992.
An important portion of the1999 war between Yugoslavia and the NATO coalition involved combat between theAir Force of Serbia and Montenegro (Ratno vazduhoplovstvo Srbije i Crne Gore), which was the predecessor of today's Serbian Air Force, and the opposing air forces ofNATO.United States Air ForceF-15s andF-16s flying mainly from Italian air bases attacked the defending Serbo-Montenegrin fighters, usuallyMiG-29s, which were in bad shape, due to lack of spare parts and maintenance. A total of six MiG-29s were shot down in 1999, of which three were shot down byUSAFF-15s, one by a USAFF-16, and one by aRNAF F-16.[13] One aircraft was hit byfriendly fire from the ground.[14] Another four were destroyed on the ground.[15] During the course of the air war, Serbo-Montenegrin anti-aircraft defenses downed a USAFF-16C and anF-117 Nighthawk, the firststealth aircraft ever to be shot down in combat, along with dozens of UAVs.[16]
Two primary missions of the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence are: maintaining airspace dominance over the country (including intercepting and eliminating airspace violators) and providing air support and transport for ground forces. Other important role is responding to natural disasters.
Air Force and Air Defence Command attached unit
Air Force base
Air Defence base
Air Surveillance stationThe Serbian Air Force and Air Defence consists of fourbrigades, two independentbattalions directly attached to the Air Force and Air Defence Command, as well as the Aeronautical Overhaul Institute and Air Medical Institute. There are three operating air bases:Batajnica Air Base,Lađevci Air Base, andNiš Air Base. In addition other bases (Jakovo, Zuce, Pančevo, Kragujevac, Novi Sad) house air defence units. Long-range surveillance radar stations are located atNovi Banovci andMurtenica.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | |||||
| MiG-29 | Soviet Union | multirole | MiG-29SM | 11[17] | |
| Dassault Rafale | France | multirole | Rafale F4 | 12 on order[17] | |
| Soko J-22 | Yugoslavia | attack | J-22B | 17[17] | |
| Transport aircraft | |||||
| Airbus C-295 | Spain | transport | C-295W | 2[17] | |
| Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | transport | An-26 | 1[17] | |
| Helicopters | |||||
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | attack | Mi-35 | 15[18][19] | 4 on order |
| Mil Mi-17 | Russia | utility | Mi-17V-5 | 5[19] | |
| Airbus H145 | France | utility | H145M | 16[20][21] | |
| Aérospatiale Gazelle | France | observation | 341/42 | 25[17] | |
| Trainer aircraft | |||||
| MiG-29 | Soviet Union | conversion trainer | MiG-29UB | 3[17] | |
| Soko G-4 | Yugoslavia | jet trainer | G-4M | 4 | |
| Utva Lasta | Serbia | trainer | Lasta 95V | 14[17] | |
| Unmanned aerial vehicles | |||||
| Elbit Hermes | Israel | combat / reconnaissance | Hermes 900 | 3[22] | |
| CASC Rainbow | China | combat | CH-95/92 | 3 / 6[23][24] | |
| Utva Pegaz | Serbia | combat | Pegaz | 12[25][26] | |
| Name | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface-to-air missile systems | |||||
| HQ-22 | China | medium-range | FK-3 | 4 batteries[27] | |
| HQ-17 | China | short-range | HQ-17AE | 3 batteries | |
| Pantsir | Russia | short-range | Pantsir S1 | 1 battery[28] | 2 batteries on order[29] |
| S-125 Neva | Soviet Union | short-range | Neva M1T | 5 batteries[30] | |
| 2K12 Kub | Soviet Union | short-range | Kub M2 | 3 batteries[31] | |
| Name | Origin | Type | Range | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D radars | |||||
| Thales GM400α | France | surveillance | long-range | 4[32] | |
| Thales GM200 | France | surveillance and target acquisition | medium-range | 6[19] | |
| Thales GS-40 | France | surveillance and target acquisition | short-range | 12[33][34] | |
| Surface-to-air missile system components | |||||
| TTDR | China | surveillance | long-range | 1[35] | part ofHQ-22 battery |
| JSG-100 | China | surveillance | long-range | 4[36] | part ofHQ-22 battery |
| H-200 | China | target acquisition | long-range | 4[36] | part ofHQ-22 battery |
| P-18 | Soviet Union | surveillance | medium-range | 5 | part ofS-125 Neva battery[37] |
| P-40 | Soviet Union | surveillance | medium-range | 3 | part of2K12 Kub battery |
The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| Rank group | General/Flag/Air officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Serbian Air Force and Air Defence[38] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| Генерал General | Генерал-потпуковник General-potpukovnik | Генерал-мајор General-major | Бригадни генерал Brigadni general | Пуковник Pukovnik | Потпуковник Potpukovnik | Мајор Major | Капетан прве класе Kapetan prve klase | Капетан Kapetan | Поручник Poručnik | Потпоручник Potporučnik | ||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbian Air Force and Air Defence[38] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Заставник I класе Zastavnik I klase | Заставник Zastavnik | Старији Водник I класе Stariji Vodnik I klase | Старији Водник Stariji Vodnik | Водник Vodnik | Млађи водник Mlađi vodnik | Десетар Desetar | Разводник Razvodnik | Војник Vojnik | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
