Why Rival Pilots Still Fear the Serbian MiG 29? - Serbia Military Technology

Video from the channel Marvels Of Military about MiG-29, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 15:41. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

An English-language video about the Serbian Air Force's MiG-29s: their history from the Yugoslav era, the state of the current fleet, and the debate over replacing them.

Yugoslavia, one of the few MiG-29 operators outside the Warsaw Pact, received its aircraft in the 1980s, and the fleet later passed to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During NATO's 1999 Operation Allied Force, which lasted 78 days, several were shot down, mainly by F-15Cs, and roughly a third of the fleet was lost. The video attributes the losses to outdated radars, the lack of beyond-visual-range missiles, and the opponent's AWACS support.

In 2017 Russia donated six MiG-29S aircraft free of charge, and Belarus later transferred four more, leaving an estimated fleet of 14 to 16 aircraft based at Batajnica, operated by the 204th Aviation Brigade. The MiG-29S brings the R-77 (RVV-AE) missile, and the Čačak Aeronautical Technical Institute maintains and upgrades the aircraft. Its strengths cited are maneuverability and the helmet-mounted sight. Weighing against it are outdated radar and electronic warfare systems, a shortage of spare parts following the 2022 sanctions, and the fleet's small size. In 2024 Serbia announced the purchase of French Rafale jets.