• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Serbia - MiG-29

The Serbian Defense Ministry wished to buy several Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters. Serbia operates nine MiG-29 jets as of 2015, including six procured from Russia in 2013, as well as eleven Mikoyan MiG-21 jets, the service life of which will expire in 2018, and several dozens of J-22 Orao fighters. Of the Mikoyan MiG-29s and -21s and Soko J-22 Oraos, by 2016 few were serviceable. The air force wanted to replace them with a single fleet. The service has looked at new-build MiG-29s, and local industry is offering an upgrade to the J-22, called Orao 2.0. However, no firm decision had been taken by mid-2016. The Orao had not been mentioned in a group of promising aircraft with the current extension, an the earliest specimens could be used until the period 2019-2021.

If Russia and Serbia agreed on the number of required air defense systems and planes, the delivery would be made from the Russian Defense Ministry's stock and eventually modernized. That option would be quicker and cheaper for Serbia.

Belgrade made its request to Moscow after Croatia had expressed the wish to arm itself with MGM-140 ATACMS operative-tactical missiles operating on a range of 300 kilometers.

The Russian authorities expressed readiness to deliver six MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia if Belgrade covers the jet fighters’ repair costs, Serbian media reported on 11 November 2016. "Moscow allegedly indicated that the repair of jet fighters and related equipment requires about $50 million," a governmental source was quoted as saying by the Naslovna Strana newspaper. According to the newspaper, the question of the delivery of military equipment was discussed behind closed doors during the 15th intergovernmental committee meeting on the trade-economic and technical-scientific cooperation in the Russian city of Suzdal.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic told Sputnik that the reports on Russia's decision to deliver the MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia were a sign of sincere cooperation, mutual trust and friendship. "It is a sign of sincere cooperation, trust and friendship. Serbia now has friends who will not hesitate to help it, who… do not hesitate to cooperate. Serbia wants to spread friendship to all nations in the world and will not support anyone in hating… We will not attack anyone, but we will provide the defense for our country and people," Nikolic said.

Serbia will receive six MiG-29 fighter jets, 30 T-72 tanks, 30 BRDM-2 combat reconnaissance vehicles from Russia as part of a military and technical cooperation assistance program, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said 22 December 2016. Russia and Serbia were working on creation of 3-year and 5-year plans of military and technical cooperation, the president added. "Russia donated six MiG-29 fighter jets, first modernization stages of which would only cost us between 180 million euros [$187 million] and 230 million euros … That is incomparable to what we had before. We also received of 30 T-72? tanks, 30 BRDM-2 as a gift," Vucic said in a statement.

Serbia awaits the delivery of six Russian MiG-29s, which the country will receive in May 2017 on very preferential terms, as it will pay only for repairs and upgrades. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the cost will amount to 185 million euros. The exact date of this delivery would be known only after the relevant documents are signed by Vladimir Putin and all the technical details are mutually agreed upon. Members of Serbian Students for Truth (SfT) movement asked the defense ministry to have the names of Serbian nationals killed by the 1999 NATO bombings of Yugoslavia painted on the Russian MiGs. There were three Serbian Air Force Pilots and an estimated 270 Yugoslav Army personnel and police killed during 1999 NATO bombings of Federal Yugoslavia.

Air Force pilot Milenko Pavlovic died on May 1999 in a dogfight with an entire squadron of NATO warplanes. Zoran Radosavljevic was killed on March26, just a day after his colleague, Zivota Djuric, was shot down following an air raid on arms depots used by Kosovo Liberation Army terrorists. To avoid being taken prisoner, Zivota Djuric drove his damaged plane straight into the enemy positions.

The names of all Serbian pilots who fell defending their country before and during the 1999 NATO attack will appear on the Russian MiGs.