Aircraft

Two newly overhauled Serbian air force RSK MiG-29 fighters appeared during the Diplomac 2008 manoeuvres over the Pasuljanske Livade range on 30 May, but project delays have so far prevented the aircraft from formally rejoining its 101st Fighter Squadron.

Defence minister Dragan Sutanovac says the modernisation programme has missed its agreed schedule "due to failure of the Russian partner," while the nation's defence ministry adds: "The aircraft are still being tested and have not finished overhaul."

© Igor Salinger/Aermedia.com

Serbia's first of five MiG-29s to undergo the work and to also receive ICAO-standard navigation and communication equipment under contracts worth €32.5 million ($50.1 million) flew in early February, and the remainder are now expected to be ready for use by year-end.

Serbia is returning the aircraft to operational status to bridge a gap in its pilot-training capabilities pending a decision on the purchase of new fighters expected in the middle of the next decade.