Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence (Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i PVO) traces itself to an Aviation Command formed at Niš on 24 December 1912, flew in the Balkan Wars and the First World War, was destroyed as the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in eleven days in April 1941, grew into the Cold War’s largest Balkan air arm on Western aid, Soviet MiGs and home-built Soko jets, lost most of its combat aircraft in the break-up of Yugoslavia and the 1999 NATO air campaign, and since 2017 has rebuilt on donated MiG-29s, Chinese missiles and drones and a 2024 order for 12 Rafales.
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence story: Niš in 1912, eleven days in April 1941 and the Rafale on order
1912–1918: an Aviation Command at Niš, Skadar and the Great War
Serbian military flying began with a decision signed on 24 December 1912 forming an Aviation Command (Vazduhoplovna komanda) at Niš, which the air force still marks as its day. The Serbian Armed Forces say that Serbia was then one of about fifteen countries with military aviation, and that during the siege of Skadar (Shkodër) in 1913 it became one of the first five to use aircraft in combat. English Wikipedia dates the first Serbian reconnaissance flight at Skadar to 20 March 1913 and records Sergeant Mihajlo Petrović as the first casualty of Serbian military aviation; the air base at Niš bears his name today. In the First World War the small Serbian air arm flew reconnaissance against Austria-Hungary, a French squadron arrived in March 1915, and, according to Wikipedia, the first aerial transport of wounded in history was flown in Serbia that autumn. On 30 September 1915, the Serbian Armed Forces record, the gunner Radomir Raka Ljutovac shot down a German aircraft with an improvised field gun.
1918–1945: the Royal Yugoslav Air Force and eleven days in April 1941
After 1918 the Serbian aviation became the air force of the new Kingdom, renamed the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in 1930 according to Wikipedia. By April 1941 it had more than 460 front-line aircraft in 22 bomber and 19 fighter squadrons, a modern but mixed fleet of 73 Messerschmitt Bf 109Es, 47 Hurricanes, 30 Fury IIs, 11 home-built IK-3s, 61 Blenheims, 69 Dornier Do 17Ks and 42 SM.79s, as Wikipedia lists them. It was outnumbered about five to one. On 6 April 1941 about 300 German aircraft bombed Belgrade, and fighters of the 6th Fighter Regiment, whose traditions the 204th Air Brigade keeps, rose to meet them. Yugoslav pilots claimed dozens of kills in the first two days, but the air force was destroyed in eleven days, many aircraft on the ground; about 70 aircraft escaped to Greece and only a handful reached Egypt. Yugoslav airmen fought on in RAF squadrons 351 and 352, which became the core of the post-war air force in May 1945.
1945–1991: the Yugoslav Air Force, Western jets, Soviet MiGs and Soko
The Yugoslav Air Force was formally created on 5 January 1945 from the Partisan air units, flying Soviet Yak-3s, Yak-9s and Il-2s and British Spitfires and Hurricanes. The split with Stalin in June 1948 cut off Soviet supply, and Yugoslavia turned to the West: Mosquitoes from 1951, 150 P-47D Thunderbolts, T-33s from 10 March 1953 and between 219 and 229 F-84G Thunderjets (sources differ), followed by 121 F-86E and Canadair Sabres. Air force and air defence were merged in 1959. From September 1962 the MiG-21 arrived, 261 in ten variants by 1992, while a home industry built the Galeb and Jastreb, the Orao attack jet with Romania and the G-4 Super Galeb trainer, plus about 140 licence-built Gazelles. In 1987 Yugoslavia became the first European country outside the Soviet Union to fly the MiG-29. The weakness was geography: the great bases, including the cavern complex at Željava, lay in what are now Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro.
1991–1999: the break-up of Yugoslavia and the NATO air campaign
In 1991 the federal air force was drawn into the wars of Yugoslavia’s break-up. In Slovenia Yugoslav aircraft struck Brnik airport and radio transmitters, and Slovenian Territorial Defence shot down two helicopters. In Croatia, on 7 October 1991, Yugoslav jets attacked the Banski dvori in Zagreb while President Tuđman was meeting the federal president and prime minister; Croatia called it an attempt to strike at its statehood, while the Yugoslav defence ministry said the attack had not been authorised by the central command and suggested it had been staged. Wikipedia counts 46 aircraft and helicopters lost in 1991–1992. Željava was blown up in 1992. The air force of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, formed on 27 April 1992, then faced NATO from 24 March to 10 June 1999. Its missile crews shot down an F-117A on 27 March and an F-16 on 2 May, but six MiG-29s were lost in air combat, one of them Colonel Milenko Pavlović’s on 4 May, and many aircraft were destroyed on the ground.
2006–2024: the Serbian Air Force rebuilds on donations and Chinese systems
When Montenegro left the state union in 2006, Serbia inherited the air force and its name, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i PVO. It was a force in decline: the MiG-29s had stopped flying in 2004 because they could not be maintained under sanctions, and the last airworthy MiG-21 crashed on 25 September 2020, ending that type’s service. Recovery came through donations and non-Western suppliers. Russia delivered six MiG-29s in October 2017, with Serbia paying for their overhaul, and Belarus handed over four more on 25 February 2019; they were modernised into MiG-29SM+ fighters with Russian, Chinese and French equipment. Four Mi-35M attack helicopters arrived in 2019 and eleven used Mi-35Ps from Cyprus in 2023, while Airbus H145Ms were ordered from December 2016. China supplied six CH-92A armed drones, shown in July 2020, and FK-3 surface-to-air missile batteries, flown in by Y-20 transports and in service from April 2022, the first Chinese system of its class exported to Europe.
The Rafale order and what is still missing
On 29 August 2024, with Presidents Vučić and Macron present, Serbia signed for 12 Rafales at 2.7 billion euros, the largest purchase in the air force’s history; Tango Six, citing the weekly Radar, puts the contract at 2.745 billion euros, with 73 per cent of the fourth instalment paid early in July 2026 and deliveries due from 2028 to 2030. The Rafale gives a militarily neutral Serbia a Western fighter while it keeps Russian helicopters and Chinese missiles, a mixture that makes logistics and training harder. The MiG-29s remain the only fighters until then, their spares so scarce that a fifteenth, ex-Hungarian airframe arrived in 2024 as a donor. The Orao and Super Galeb are old; the turboprop Kobac trainer never flew. The Ministry of Defence says 1.3 trillion dinars were invested in the armed forces from 2012 to 2026 against 56 billion from 2000 to 2012, but it publishes no air force budget of its own.
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i PVO (Ратно ваздухопловство и ПВО)The name on the official site of the Serbian Armed Forces, vs.rs, which also uses the abbreviation RV i PVO; the official English name is Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
- Founded
- 24 December 1912The date of the decision forming the Aviation Command at Niš, celebrated as the air force day. English Wikipedia gives 24 September 1912 in its history text; the present service took its form in 2006
- Part of
- Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije)One of the two services, with the Army, under the General Staff; Chief of the General Staff is General Milan Mojsilović and the Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić
- Headquarters
- Zemun, BelgradeAir Force and Air Defence Command, Glavna 1, 11080 Zemun
- Commander
- Maj. Gen. Tiosav JankovićReported as the new commander on 21 September 2026, succeeding Maj. Gen. Brane Krnjajić, who is still shown on vs.rs
- Motto
- For Freedom and Honour of the FatherlandZa slobodu i čast Otadžbine, per English Wikipedia
Strength
- Personnel
- About 3,000An estimate for 2021 in English Wikipedia; no official figure for the air force was found. The whole armed forces have about 22,500 active personnel
- Combat aircraft
-
- MiG-29SM+ and MiG-29UB — 14 (11 SM, 3 UB), plus one donor airframe
- J-22 Orao — 17, eight modernised to J-22M1A
Counts from FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025 as cited by English Wikipedia; Tango Six counts a fifteenth MiG-29, an ex-Hungarian aircraft kept for spares
- Trainers
-
- G-4 Super Galeb — 15–16
- Lasta 95V-54 — 14
- Utva 75 — number not published
Wikipedia gives 15 G-4M in its inventory table and 16 G-4 in the type article
- Helicopters
-
- Mi-35M and Mi-35P — 15 (4 M, 11 P)
- H145M — 15–16
- Mi-17V-5 — 5, plus older Mi-8s
- SA341/342 Gazelle (Gazela, Gama) — about 25
Mi-35 figures from Tango Six; the H145M count differs between Wikipedia articles
- Transport
-
- C-295W — 2
- An-26 — 1
- An-2TD and Piper Seneca
The first C-295 was delivered on 25 September 2023
- Drones
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- CH-92A — 6
- CH-95 — 10
- Pegaz — about 12
- Hermes 900 — number not published
Chinese armed drones with the 353rd Reconnaissance Squadron at Lađevci; Pegaz is a Serbian design
- Surface-to-air missiles
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- FK-3 (HQ-22) — 4 batteries
- HQ-17AE — 2 batteries
- Pantsir-S1 — 1 battery
- Kub-M2 — 3 batteries
- Neva-M1T (S-125) — 5 batteries
Inventory per English Wikipedia; FK-3 in service since April 2022. An HQ-9B (FD-2000B) purchase was reported in 2026
- Defence budget
- About 3.1 billion US dollars (2026)English Wikipedia gives 2.7 per cent of GDP for 2026. The Ministry of Defence says 1.3 trillion dinars were invested in the armed forces from 2012 to 2026, against 56 billion from 2000 to 2012
Infrastructure
- Air bases
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- Batajnica (Pukovnik-pilot Milenko Pavlović) — 204th Air Brigade
- Lađevci (Morava) — 98th Air Brigade
- Niš (Narednik-pilot Mihajlo Petrović) — 98th Air Brigade
The two air brigades fly from three military airfields; Niš and Morava are shared with civil airports
- Brigades
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- 204th Air Brigade
- 98th Air Brigade
- 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade
- 126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance Brigade (VOJIN)
Plus signal and engineer battalions and the Moma Stanojlović aeronautical overhaul institute
- Radars
- 22 Thales radars boughtGM60, GM200 and GM400 ranges, announced in November 2023; the first GM400 was then delivered
- Lost bases of the Yugoslav era
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- Željava, near Bihać — now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, blown up 1992
- Pleso and Zemunik — now Croatia
- Cerklje — now Slovenia
- Golubovci — now Montenegro
- Slatina (Priština) — in Kosovo
Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence; many states do
- Museum
- Aeronautical Museum BelgradeFounded 1957, opened at Surčin on 21 May 1989; over 200 aircraft, including wreckage of the F-117 and F-16 shot down in 1999. Being rebuilt with three new hangars for EXPO 2027
How the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence is organised
One command in Zemun over two air brigades, an air defence missile brigade and a radar brigade. The MiG-29s of the 204th Air Brigade at Batajnica are Serbia’s only fighters until the 12 Rafales ordered in August 2024 arrive from 2028; the 98th Air Brigade flies attack jets, attack helicopters and armed drones from Lađevci and helicopters from Niš. The service also runs the Moma Stanojlović aeronautical institute, which overhauls its aircraft.
Air Force and Air Defence Command
At Glavna 1 in Zemun, one of the two services of the Serbian Armed Forces under the General Staff. Maj. Gen. Tiosav Janković was reported as the new commander on 21 September 2026, with Brig. Gen. Milan Elenkov as his deputy; the official vs.rs page still showed Maj. Gen. Brane Krnjajić on 30 September 2026.
204th Air Brigade
Formed on 15 November 2011 and home of Serbia’s only fighters: the 101st Fighter Aviation Squadron flies the 14 MiG-29s, the 252nd trains on the G-4 Super Galeb and Lasta, the 138th flies C-295 and An-26 transports and the 890th Gazelle, Mi-17 and H145M helicopters. The brigade keeps the tradition of the 6th Fighter Regiment that defended Belgrade in April 1941.
98th Air Brigade
Formed on 13 June 2007. At Lađevci the 241st Fighter-Bomber Squadron flies 17 J-22 Oraos, the 714th Anti-Armour Helicopter Squadron 15 Mi-35M and Mi-35P gunships and the 353rd Reconnaissance Squadron the Chinese CH-92A and CH-95 armed drones; at Niš the 119th Mixed Helicopter Squadron flies Mi-8s, Mi-17s and H145Ms.
250th Air Defence Missile Brigade
The brigade whose 3rd battalion shot down an F-117A on 27 March 1999 and an F-16 on 2 May 1999. It now operates the Chinese FK-3 (HQ-22), in service since April 2022, and HQ-17AE, the Pantsir-S1 and older Kub and modernised S-125 Neva systems, according to Wikipedia; an HQ-9B purchase was reported in 2026.
126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance Brigade
The radar brigade of the service, known as VOJIN. Serbia announced the purchase of 22 Thales radars of the GM60, GM200 and GM400 ranges in November 2023, when the first GM400 was delivered.
What the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan MiG-29SM+ and MiG-29UBIn service | Multirole fighter | 14 | 1987 | 14 flying: 11 MiG-29SM and 3 MiG-29UB per FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025, cited by Wikipedia.
MoreBuilt up from about four survivors of the 1987 batch, six from Russia (October 2017) and four from Belarus (25 February 2019). Tango Six reported a fifteenth, ex-Hungarian 9.12B airframe at Batajnica in February 2025, bought in 2024 mainly as a spares donor. |
||
| Soko J-22 Orao and NJ-22In service | Ground-attack and reconnaissance | 17 | 1978 | 17 J-22 and NJ-22, eight of them modernised J-22M1A, per Wikipedia. | ||
| Soko G-4 Super Galeb (G-4 and G-4M)In service | Jet trainer and light attack | 1983 | 15–16: the inventory table in the service article gives 15 G-4M; the type article gives 16 in December 2025, making Serbia the largest operator. | |||
| Utva Lasta 95V-54In service | Basic trainer | 14 | 2017 | 14 ordered and in service by 2017. | ||
| Utva 75In service | Primary trainer | |||||
| Airbus C-295WIn service | Tactical transport | 2 | 2023 | Two per FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025, cited by Wikipedia. | ||
| Antonov An-26In service | Transport | 1 | One per FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025; Yugoslavia bought seventeen. | |||
| Antonov An-2TDIn service | Light transport | |||||
| Piper PA-34 SenecaIn service | Liaison and multi-engine training | |||||
| Mil Mi-35M and Mi-35PIn service | Attack helicopter | 15 | 2019 | Four new Mi-35M delivered in 2019 and eleven used Mi-35P from Cyprus, shown at Batajnica on 23 November 2023. Wikipedia lists four more on order. | ||
| Mil Mi-17V-5In service | Transport helicopter | 5 | Five per FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025. | |||
| Mil Mi-8TIn service | Transport helicopter | Current number not published; Yugoslavia bought 93 Mi-8s according to Wikipedia. | ||||
| Airbus Helicopters H145MIn service | Light utility and armed helicopter | 15–16.
MoreOrdered in December 2016 (six for the air force, four with the HForce weapon system, three for the police), redistributed in November 2018; ten more with HForce were announced in November 2023 for 2024. The type article counts 15, the service article 16. |
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| Soko SA341/342 Gazelle (Gazela and Gama)In service | Light utility and anti-armour helicopter | 25 | About 25 per FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025. Soko in Mostar licence-built about 140 for the Yugoslav Air Force (Wikipedia; another passage gives 190). | |||
| CASC CH-92AIn service | Armed reconnaissance drone | 6 | 2020 | Six, with 18 missiles, shown at Batajnica in July 2020. | ||
| CASC CH-95In service | Armed reconnaissance drone | 10 | Ten per Wikipedia. | |||
| Elbit Hermes 900In service | Reconnaissance drone | Wikipedia gives three; no official figure was found. | ||||
| Utva PegazIn service | Armed reconnaissance drone | 12 | About 12 per Wikipedia. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dassault RafaleOn order | 12 | 2028 | Contract signed in Belgrade on 29 August 2024 by Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić and Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier in the presence of Presidents Vučić and Macron: 12 aircraft with equipment and services for 2.7 billion euros (2.745 billion excluding weapons and interest, according to Radar via Tango Six, financed partly by 1.92 billion euros of French bank credit).
MoreDeliveries 2028–2030; none had begun in July 2026. The single- and two-seat split and the standard were not confirmed on an official page. Serbia’s Utva is making parts for the Rafale’s 30 mm gun. |
|
| Mil Mi-35MOn order | 4 | Four more listed as on order by Wikipedia; delivery is uncertain under sanctions on Russia and was not confirmed officially. | ||
| HQ-9B (FD-2000B) long-range surface-to-air missile systemOn order | Reported in 2026 as Serbia’s choice instead of the S-400 to complement the FK-3; no official figures found. |
Every type the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence has retired
19 types, from the Yakovlev Yak-3, Yak-7 and Yak-9 to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (ten variants). Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (ten variants) | Interceptor, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance | 261 | 1962–2020 | MiG-29 (Rafale on order) | Up to 261 for Yugoslavia: 41 F-13, 36 PFM, 25 M, 6 MF, 46 bis, 45 bisK, 12 R, 18 U, 25 UM and 7 US. Serbia inherited 31 in 2006. | |
| Soko G-2 Galeb | Jet trainer and light attack | 132 | 1965–1999 | G-4 | 132 of 248 built went to the Yugoslav Air Force. | |
| Republic F-84G Thunderjet | Fighter-bomber | 1953–1974 | Soko types and MiG-21 | 219–229: the type article gives 219, the air force article 229 (serials 10501–10729). | ||
| North American F-86E and Canadair CL-13 Sabre | Day fighter | 121 | 1956–1971 | MiG-21 | 121 per Wikipedia. | |
| Hawker Hurricane I (Royal Yugoslav AF) and IIC/IV (1944–1945) | Fighter | 47 | 47 Hurricane Is in April 1941, some licence-built; later Hurricanes of No. 351 and 352 Squadrons not counted. | |||
| Messerschmitt Bf 109E | Fighter | 73 | 73 in April 1941. | |||
| Rogožarski IK-3 | Fighter | 11 | 11 in April 1941, more under construction. | |||
| Hawker Fury II | Fighter | 30 | 30 in April 1941. | |||
| Bristol Blenheim I | Bomber | 61 | 61 in April 1941, about 40 licence-built. | |||
| Dornier Do 17K | Bomber | 69 | 69 in April 1941, over 40 licence-built. | |||
| Savoia-Marchetti SM.79K | Bomber | 42 | 42 in April 1941. | |||
| Breguet 19 and Potez 25 | Reconnaissance and light bomber | 130 | About 130 of both types in seven reconnaissance groups in April 1941. | |||
| Soko J-21 Jastreb | Light attack | 224 | 1968– | 224 built between 1968 and 1977 (total production, not only for the Yugoslav Air Force). | ||
| Lockheed T-33A | Jet trainer | 1953– | The first four arrived on 10 March 1953, the Yugoslav Air Force’s first jets; the total was not confirmed. | |||
| Republic P-47D Thunderbolt | Fighter-bomber | 150 | 150 under the Mutual Assistance Pact per Wikipedia. | |||
| de Havilland Mosquito FB.6 | Fighter-bomber | 1951– | ||||
| Yakovlev Yak-3, Yak-7 and Yak-9 | Fighter | 1944– | ||||
| Ilyushin Il-2 | Ground attack | 1944– | ||||
| Supermarine Spitfire VB, VC and IX | Fighter | 1944– |
Where the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. Three military airfields do the flying: Batajnica for the fighters, transports and trainers, Lađevci for the Oraos, Mi-35s and drones, and Niš for helicopters. Six air bases of the Yugoslav air force passed out of the service’s hands as Yugoslavia broke up between 1991 and 2006 and now lie in other countries: Željava on the border of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pleso and Zemunik in Croatia, Cerklje in Slovenia, Golubovci in Montenegro and Slatina in Kosovo, whose 2008 declaration of independence Serbia does not recognise and many states do. Ponikve closed to military flying in 2007, and the old Zemun airfield in Belgrade is built over. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
Serbia
4 of the 11 bases above sit outside Serbia, so the world map has to pull back until the home airfields cannot be told apart. The same pins again, without the overseas bases.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BatajnicaCity of Belgrade (Grad Beograd), Zemun municipality | LYBT | Active | 12L/30R2,502 m12R/30L2,510 m |
|
| LađevciMoravaRaška District (Raški okrug), near Kraljevo | LYKV | Active | 13/312,265 mcomposite |
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| NišNišava District (Nišavski okrug), City of Niš | LYNI | Active | 11/292,500 masphalt ends and composite centre section | |
| PonikveZlatibor District (Zlatiborski okrug), near Užice | LYUZ | Closed 2007 | 10/281,830 m |
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| GolubovciPodgoricaPodgorica, Montenegro | LYPG | Closed 2006 | 18/362,500 m |
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| SlatinaPrištinaKosovo, near Priština (Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence; many states do) | BKPR | Closed 1999 |
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| ŽeljavaBihaćLika-Senj County, Croatia, on the border with the Una-Sana Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near Bihać | Closed 1992 |
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| Cerklje ob KrkiMunicipality of Brežice, Slovenia | LJCE | Closed 1991 |
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| PlesoZagrebZagreb County, Croatia, at Velika Gorica | LDZA | Closed 1991 |
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| ZemunikZadarZadar County, Croatia, at Zemunik Donji | LDZD | Closed 1991 |
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| Zemunold Belgrade airportCity of Belgrade (Grad Beograd), today New Belgrade (Novi Beograd) | Closed 1964 |
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No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
Flying units by base, current units first. Serbia’s squadrons belong to two air brigades, the 204th at Batajnica and the 98th at Lađevci and Niš, and several carry names, such as the Vitezi (Knights) of the 101st Fighter Aviation Squadron; the Yugoslav regiments at bases now in other countries are listed under the airfields they flew from. Where a squadron’s aircraft or date rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- 101st Fighter Aviation Squadron (101. lovačka avijacijska eskadrila)Vitezi (Knights) · Fighter squadron · active
- MiG-29 and MiG-29UB
- 252nd Training Aviation Squadron (252. ljudačka avijacijska eskadrila)Kurjaci sa Ušća (Wolves from Ušće) · Training squadron · active
- Soko G-4 Super Galeb, Utva Lasta 95
- 138th Transport Aviation Squadron (138. transportna avijacijska eskadrila)Transport squadron · active
- Airbus C-295, Antonov An-26
- 890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron (890. mešovita helikopterska eskadrila)Pegazi (Pegasuses) · Mixed helicopter squadron · active
- Aerospatiale Gazelle, Mil Mi-17, Airbus H145M
- 177th Air Defence Artillery-Missile Division (177. artiljerijsko-raketni divizion PVO)Air defence artillery-missile battalion · active
- Aeronautical Institute "Moma Stanojlović" (Vazduhoplovni zavod "Moma Stanojlović")Aircraft overhaul institute · active
- 204th Fighter Aviation Regiment (204. lovački avijacijski puk)
- MiG-21bis (126th Squadron), MiG-29 (127th Squadron)
- 138th Transport Aviation Brigade
- Transport aircraft (types not listed)
- 241st Fighter-Bomber Aviation Squadron (241. lovačko-bombarderska avijacijska eskadrila)Tigrovi (Tigers) · Fighter-bomber squadron · active
- Soko J-22 Orao
- 714th Anti-Armour Helicopter Squadron (714. protivoklopna helikopterska eskadrila)Senke (Shadows) · Attack helicopter squadron · active
- Mil Mi-35M
- 353rd Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron (353. izviđačka avijacijska eskadrila)Sokolovi (Hawks) · Reconnaissance squadron · active
- Antonov An-2TD, CASC CH-92A drone, CASC CH-95 drone
- 98th Air Defence Artillery-Missile Division (98. artiljerijsko-raketni divizion PVO)Air defence artillery-missile battalion · active
- 98th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (98. lovačko-bombarderski avijacijski puk)
- Soko J-22 Orao
- 235th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (235. lovačko-bombarderska eskadrila)1967–
- Republic F-84 Thunderjet
- 240th Fighter-Bomber Squadron1992–
- Types not stated
- 119th Mixed Helicopter Squadron (119. mešovita helikopterska eskadrila)Zmajevi (Dragons) · Mixed helicopter squadron · active
- Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-17, Airbus H145M
- 161st Airfield Security Battalion (161. bataljon za obezbeđenje aerodroma)Airfield security battalion · active
- 119th Aviation Brigade (Yugoslav air force)
- Helicopters (712th, 714th and 787th squadrons)
No unit matches that search.
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence milestones, 1914 to today
24 December: decision forming the Aviation Command at Niš; the date is the air force day.
Serbian aircraft fly in combat at the siege of Skadar; Sergeant Mihajlo Petrović becomes the first casualty of Serbian military aviation.
March: a French squadron arrives in Serbia. 30 September: Radomir Raka Ljutovac shoots down a German aircraft with an improvised gun.
6 April: Germany bombs Belgrade and invades; the Royal Yugoslav Air Force is destroyed in eleven days. The capitulation takes effect on 18 April.
5 January: the Yugoslav Air Force is formally created. 18 May: Squadrons 351 and 352 become its 1st Fighter Regiment.
June: the split with Stalin cuts off Soviet aircraft; Western aid follows from 1951.
10 March: the first T-33 jets arrive, followed by F-84G Thunderjets from June.
Air force and air defence merge into the Air Force and Air Defence (RV i PVO).
September: the first MiG-21F-13s arrive; 261 MiG-21s in ten variants follow.
Yugoslavia receives its first MiG-29s, the first European operator outside the Soviet Union.
War in Slovenia and Croatia; 7 October: Yugoslav jets attack the Banski dvori in Zagreb. Wikipedia counts 46 aircraft and helicopters lost in 1991–1992.
24 March–10 June: NATO air campaign. 27 March: an F-117A is shot down near Buđanovci; 2 May: an F-16 is shot down. Six MiG-29s are lost in air combat.
Montenegro leaves the state union; Serbia continues the air force as the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence.
October: six MiG-29s from Russia delivered; December: the Lasta enters service. In 2019 Belarus hands over four more MiG-29s and four Mi-35Ms arrive.
July: CH-92A armed drones shown at Batajnica. 25 September: the last airworthy MiG-21 crashes and the type is retired.
April: the FK-3 (HQ-22) enters service, the first Chinese long-range air defence system in Europe.
29 August: 12 Rafales ordered for 2.7 billion euros during President Macron’s visit.
June: the MiG-29SM+ shows its full Chinese and Russian weapons fit. September: Maj. Gen. Tiosav Janković is reported as the new commander.
Every war the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence and the air forces before it have fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- The Balkan Wars 1912–1913 Reconnaissance flights in support of the siege of Skadar and, in 1913, of the Second Balkan War
- The First World War 1914–1918 Reconnaissance and artillery observation for the Serbian army; the first aerial evacuation of wounded is credited to Serbia in autumn 1915
- The April War 1941 Defended Belgrade and the country against the German, Italian and Hungarian invasion and bombed Axis columns
- Yugoslav squadrons of the RAF and the Partisan air force 1944–1945 Escort, ground attack and reconnaissance in support of the Partisan army
- The wars of the break-up of Yugoslavia 1991–1992 Air support for the Yugoslav People’s Army and air strikes on targets in Slovenia and Croatia
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
What is the Serbian Air Force called in Serbian?
What fighter jets does Serbia have?
How many Rafales is Serbia buying and when will they arrive?
Where did Serbia get its MiG-29s?
Did Serbia really shoot down an F-117 stealth fighter?
How many aircraft did Yugoslavia lose in the 1999 NATO bombing?
When was the Serbian Air Force founded?
What happened to the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941?
Does Serbia still fly the MiG-21?
What air defence systems does Serbia have?
Read the aircraft the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Vojska Srbije: Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i PVOOfficial name, mission, HQ Glavna 1 Zemun, air force day 24 December (1912 Aviation Command), subordinate brigades.
- Vojska Srbije: Istorijat Vojske SrbijeAviation Command at Niš 24 December 1912; Skadar 1913; Ljutovac 30 September 1915; April War 6–17 April 1941.
- Vojska Srbije: General-major Brane KrnjajićCommander biography; promoted major general 2024; contact Glavna 1, Zemun.
- Vojska Srbije: O Vojsci SrbijeUnit menu of the Serbian Armed Forces.
- Vojska Srbije: 204. vazduhoplovna brigadaBatajnica; squadrons 101, 252, 138, 890; aircraft types; formed as 204th air base 15 November 2011; airfield built 1947–1951; 6th Fighter Regiment tradition.
- Vojska Srbije: 98. vazduhoplovna brigadaLađevci (Morava) and Niš; squadrons 241, 714, 119, 353; aircraft types incl. Mi-35M/P, CH-92, CH-95; formed 13 June 2007.
- Ministry of Defence of Serbia: Contract to purchase 12 Rafale aircraft signed (29 August 2024)12 Rafales, 2.7 billion euros; Gašić and Trappier; Vučić and Macron present; Lt Gen Duško Žarković as air force commander.
- Ministry of Defence of Serbia: news archive, August–September 2024Lists the Rafale contract and President Macron’s visit on 29 August 2024.
- Ministry of Defence of Serbia: Ministers Gašić and Mali inspect works at the Aeronautical Museum (29 September 2026)Museum rebuild for EXPO 2027; 1.3 trillion dinars invested 2012–2026; readiness to receive the Rafale.
- Tango Six: General Tiosav Janković novi komandant RV i PVO (21 September 2026)New commander, deputy and 204th Brigade commander.
- Tango Six: RV i PVO na Batajnici ima petnaesti MiG-29 (21 February 2025)Ex-Hungarian MiG-29 9.12B acquired 2024 as a spares donor.
- Tango Six: MiG-29SM+ srpskog RV i PVO konačno prikazao sve što može (28 June 2026)MiG-29SM+ weapons and systems.
- Tango Six: Na Batajnici prikazani helikopteri Mi-35P nabavljeni sa Kipra (23 November 2023)11 Mi-35P from Cyprus, 4 Mi-35M from 2019, 22 Thales radars, 10 more H145M.
- Tango Six: C-295 preleće iznad beogradskog Sajma (22 September 2023)First C-295 delivered 25 September 2023; factory acceptance in Seville in July.
- Tango Six: Otvoreno postrojenje za sklapanje i proizvodnju Elbit dronova (17 September 2026)SDS Technologies plant, Jugoimport and Elbit; Serbia operates Hermes 900.
- Tango Six: Polugodišnji finansijski izveštaj kompanije Daso za 2026 (24 July 2026)Serbia: 12 aircraft, delivery 2028–2030, deliveries not begun.
- Tango Six: Nedeljnik Radar – Srbija 6 meseci pre roka otplatila 73 odsto četvrte rate za Rafale (11 August 2026)Contract 2.745 billion euros; 1.92 billion French bank credit; payment schedule.
- Tango Six: search results for LastaHeadlines: Lasta officially introduced 29 December 2017; pilot training from 7 November 2018; turboprop Lasta announced May 2021.
- Tango Six: search results for Mi-35Headlines: Vučić announces 11 more Mi-35s from Cyprus (14 September 2022); first ex-Cypriot Mi-35P flies (1 July 2024).
- Tango Six: search results for C-295Headlines on the C-295 purchase 2015–2023.
- Tango Six: search results for KobacHeadline of 16 July 2026: Kobac family of counter-drone systems.
- Tango Six: search results for RafalHeadline of 24 June 2026: Utva enters the Rafale production chain (GIAT 30 M791 gun).
- Tango Six: search results for MiG-29Headlines on MiG-29SM modernisation 2021–2026.
- SMATSA, eAIP Serbia / Montenegro (AIRAC effective 3 September 2026)Start page of the current AIRAC edition.
- eAIP Serbia / Montenegro, AD 1.3 Index to aerodromes and heliports (AIRAC 3 September 2026)Lists Batajnica (LYBT) as the only military aerodrome; Priština (LYPR) given as data not available.
- eAIP Serbia / Montenegro, AD 2 LYBT Beograd/Batajnica – Pukovnik-pilot Milenko Pavlović (AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point 445628N 0201503E, elevation 281 ft, runways 12L/30R 2,502 x 45 m and 12R/30L 2,510 x 45 m, asphalt; operator Ministry of Defence.
- eAIP Serbia / Montenegro, AD 2 LYKV Kraljevo/Morava (AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point 434905N 0203510E, elevation 694 ft, runway 13/31 2,265 x 30 m composite.
- eAIP Serbia / Montenegro, AD 2 LYNI Niš/Konstantin Veliki (AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point 432014N 0215113E, elevation 650 ft, runway 11/29 2,500 x 45 m.
- eAIP Serbia / Montenegro, AD 2 LYUZ Užice/Ponikve (AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point 435403N 0194120E, elevation 3,012 ft, runway 10/28 1,830 x 30 m asphalt; civil operator Aerodromi Srbije.
- eAIP Serbia / Montenegro, AD 2 LYPG Podgorica (AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point 422134N 0191507E, elevation 122 ft, runway 18/36 2,500 x 45 m asphalt.
- Vojska Srbije, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i PVO (units and commanders)Official list of the service’s brigades and units.
- Serbian Armed Forces, Air Force and Air Defence (English)Founding of the Air Command in Niš on 24 December 1912.
- Aerodromi Srbije, Morava Airport: HistoryMilitary airfield built 1967 with the 235th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (F-84); 1999 damage; civil opening 28 June 2019.
- Aerodromi Srbije, Niš Constantine the Great Airport: HistoryRunway hit 57 times in 1999; reopened 12 October 2003 with Norwegian support; civil opening 12 October 1986.
- The Srpska Times, “The Belgrade Batajnica airport renamed Colonel pilot Milenko Pavlović” (2019)Decision of the Chief of the General Staff, 6 June 2019; Pavlović as commander of the 204th regiment, killed 4 May 1999 near Valjevo. Secondary source.
- OurAirports, Priština International Airport (BKPR)Public-domain reference point and elevation.
- OurAirports, Zagreb Franjo Tuđman International Airport (LDZA)Public-domain reference point and elevation.
- OurAirports, Zadar Airport (LDZD)Public-domain reference point and elevation.
- OurAirports, Cerklje ob Krki Air Base (LJCE)Public-domain reference point and elevation.
- OurAirports airport database (public domain)
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: Srđan Popović / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: KGyST / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Jim van de Burgt from Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Srđan Popović / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: André Gerwing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Alexmilt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Boksi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · Photo: Vojska Srbije / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 rs) · Photo (Hermes 900 in other markings shown): Martin Thoeni, www.powerplanes.ch / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: claudiu_ne2000 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: United States Air Force / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (P-47D in US markings shown): Julian Herzog / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo (Yak-9 in other markings shown): SDASM Archives / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · Photo (German Bf 109E shown): Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (Blenheim in other markings shown): Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Марко Љиљанић / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)