Air Force of Serbia and Montenegro

Air Force of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Air Force of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Active	April 27, 1992 - June 3, 2006
Country	Yugoslavia (1992-2003)  Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006)
Type	Air Force and Air Defense
Size	about 16,000 personnel 450 aircraft total
Part of	Military of Serbia and Montenegro
Air Force HQ	Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Patron	Saint Elijah
Colors	Azure
Engagements	Operation Allied Force
Insignia
Roundel
Fin
Aircraft flown
Attack	J-22, G-4, Mi-24, SA.342 GAMA
Fighter	MiG-29, MiG-21Bis
Interceptor	MiG-21Bis
Reconnaissance	MiG-21M, MiG-21R, IJ-22, INJ-22, SA.341 HERA
Trainer	Utva 75, G-4, NJ-22
Transport	An-2, An-26, YAK-40, Mi-8

The Air Force of Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian: Ратно Ваздухопловство Србије и Црне Горе, РВСиЦГ; Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo Srbije i Crne Gore, RVSiCG), also named Air Force of Yugoslavia (Serbian: Југословенско Ратно Ваздухопловство, ЈРВ; Jugoslovensko Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo, JRV) in the 1992-2003 period, was the air force of the former Serbia and Montenegro. It had around 300 fighter aircraft, ground attack aircraft, and other aircraft. The air force, in 1998, had about 16,000 personnel. The air force was disbanded when Montenegro voted to secede from the FRY in 2006. The bulk of it was inherited by the Serbian Air Force.

Around 50 Yugoslav aircraft were lost during the Kosovo War when NATO air forces attacked FRY in 1999. Six MiG-29s were destroyed in dogfights against F-15s, F-16s or F-18. Other MiG-29s were destroyed on the ground when NATO attacked Batajnica Airfield.

The commander-in-chief of the Air Force said that Air Force and Air Defense had 40 killed and 110 wounded soldiers in combat.

Air Force and Air Defense used innovative tactics to counter technologically more advanced and numerically superior opponents. AF & AD C-in-C Lieutenant General Spasoje Smiljanić was promoted to the rank of Colonel General and awarded Medal of War Flag - First Degree. Deputy of C-in-C Supreme Command Headquarters for the AF Colonel General Ljubiša Veličković was awarded the Medal of War Flag - First Degree. General Veličković was killed in combat.

The first Yugoslav planes in the air were the Knights of the 127th LAE (127th Fighter Squadron) with their MiG-29s (they are the only unit operating them). Based on publicly released data one could conclude that three MiGs were scrambled from Batajnica Air Base with Lieutenant Colonel Ljubiša Kulačin, Major Nebojša Nikolić and Major Milorad Milutinović in the cockpits and two (Lieutenant Colonel Dragan Ilić, Major Iljo Arizanov) from Niš Airport. Since Germany had the same type of MiG-29 for a decade, NATO was expected to be successful in jamming radar and communication with GC center. Bearing that in mind and the fact that great numbers of enemy aircraft were in the air backed by four AWACS planes, Yugoslav pilots applied new tactics. They abandoned the usual leader-wingman formations and used fast solo dashes near ground to stay out of sight and then, when close enough to fire their R-73s (AA-11 Archer air-to-air missiles), engage in a vertical climb trying to get a firing solution with their KOLS laser - IR rangefinder/homing system.