More than 45,500 guests arrived at the "Colonel-Pilot Milenko Pavlovi" air base in Batajnica, which is close to Belgrade, the Serbian capital, on April 22, 2023. The "open doors" day, which was conducted at the airfield and served as a formal display of the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces under the code name "Granite 2023" (ранит 2023), was what drew the large international throng there.
For western journalists and photographers as well as western aviation enthusiasts, it became clear already in the morning at the gate to be unwanted, as uniformed soldiers/policemen and individuals with 3 days beard, sunglasses and jogging pants in the classic "Yugo-Style" loudly shouted at the waiting people that only a small camera with small lens as well as the cell phone would be allowed to bring in, and the remaining large camera equipment as well as any backpacks camera bags etc. had to remain in the car or outside the place.
Over 5,000 Serbian military members took part in both static and moving displays at Batajnica last Saturday, according to information made public by the Serbian Ministry of Defense. They showed around 2,300 pieces of military hardware, including 60 aircraft, to the general people.
MiG-29 fighters, SOKO Orao ground-attack aircraft, UTVA 75 and UTVA Lasta 95 military trainers, Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters, and an H-145 attack helicopter were all on display from the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence (атно вадуоловство и ротиввадуловна одрана оскe риe - Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Voske Srbie).
DA Photography decided to take position for the flying display outside the airfield on approach runway 30L and photograph the action from there after one of its Serbian military sources confirmed that just about everything would use this runway end for landing that day.
Therefore, DA Photography was able to identify the four former Belarus MiG-29s after evaluating the footage and can now detail this rundown of the active MiG-29 fleet that the Serbian Air Force will be actively using in 2023.
On this Saturday 11 of the MiG-29 fleet consisting of 14 airframes (11 single-seaters and 3 double-seaters) could be seen and photographed, 10 of which were in the air, and thus almost 80% of the entire fleet was active.
For a country that is almost bankrupt, this is a real achievement to which one could take off one's hat.
Serial Type CN Unit Previous ID
18101 MiG-29 (9-12B, L-18) 2960525085 101.LAE YUG 18101
18102 MiG-29 (9-12B, L-18) 2960525086 101.LAE YUG 18102
18108 MiG-29 (9-12B, L-18) 2960525100 101.LAE YUG 18108
18151 MiG-29 (9-12A) 2960526364 101.LAE ex RUS 14bl RF-92185
18201 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960727445 101.LAE ex RUS 04bl RF-93709
18202 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960728107 101.LAE ex RUS 31bl RF-93713
18203 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960728141 101.LAE ex RUS 10bl RF-93717
18204 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960714909 101.LAE ex Bel AF
18205 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960715133 101.LAE ex Bel AF
18206 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960715157 101.LAE ex Bel AF
18207 MiG-29 (9-13) 2960718708 101.LAE ex Bel AF
18301 MiG-29UB (NL-18) 50903006375 101.LAE YUG 18301
18351 MiG-29UB (9-51) 50903019679 101.LAE ex RUS 101bl RF-92166
18352 MiG-29UB (9-51) 50903025459 101.LAE ex RUS 75bl RF-92196
Aside from the aircraft, visitors to Batajnica could also see self-propelled artillery, tanks, armored vehicles, small arms, and other pieces of personal military equipment, as well as anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems.
A parachute performance by members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade served as the program opener for the spectacular displays in Batajnica. The parachutists descended while carrying the Serbian Air Force banner and the national flag of the Republic of Serbia as they leapt from H-145M helicopters.
The joint helicopter operation, carried out by the Mi-35 assault helicopters and the 72nd Special Operations Brigade, which arrived at the area with Mi-8 and Mi-17 rotorcraft, was motivated by a demonstration simulating an anti-terrorist operation. Additionally, a formation of MiG-29 fighters that established air superiority over the operation area supported the special forces assault.
The unit from the Detachment of the Military Police for Special Operations "Cobras" (дред воне олиие сеиалне намене "оре") that ended the hostage situation at the Batajnica airport then put on another anti-terrorist performance.
Following that was the flying display program, which featured a joint display of SOKO Orao and Super Galeb aircraft, another demonstration of the rotorcraft's capabilities, which included evacuating a special forces team, as well as a presentation of the air-defence systems and their interaction with the MiG-29 fighters.
The flying displays were wrapped up by a joint flypast of a variety of aircraft from the Serbian Air Force and Air Defense arsenal, including the MiG-29, Orao, Super Galeb, UTVA 75, and UTVA Lasta 95 airplanes, followed by the Mi-35, Mi-8, Gazelle and GAMA, H-145M, and Mi-17 helicopters.
The open day at Batajnica was also a chance for the CH-95 Chinese UCAV, which the Serbian Air Force is expecting to purchase soon and for which a mock-up was on show, to make its first public appearance.
The highest Serbian officials, including President of Serbia Aleksandar Vui, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Milo Vuevi, and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Milan Mojsilovi, attended the event on Saturday at the "Colonel-Pilot Milenko Pavlovi" air base. High-ranking representatives from the neighboring nations also paid Granite 2023 a visit, including Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, Eljka Cvijanovi, the president of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the minister of defense of Hungary.
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