IGOR SALINGER / BELGRADE
The country's new army consists of nine corps-size formations, including the air force corps and the air defence corps
The Yugoslav air force and air defence have been disbanded and become a corps-level element within a restructured armed forces.
Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica issued a decree on 27 February, which also disbanded the navy and three army groups. The new Yugoslav army consists of nine corps-size formations, among them the air force corps and air defence corps, all subordinate to the army's general headquarters.
The government says the move is "within the first phase of the rationalisation and partial reorganisation of the Yugoslav army" under the Model 2005 armed forces transformation.
The air defence corps includes fighter squadrons operating the Mikoyan MiG-21 Fishbed and RSKMiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery units and the radar stations. General major Mirko Tomovic is the commander.
The air force corps - commanded by general major Vladimir Starcevic - incorporates the strike aircraft, SOKO/IAROraos and SOKOG-4 Super Galebs; UTVA75 and Super Galeb trainers; Aerospatiale SA342 Gazelle and Mil Mi-8 Hip helicopters; and Antonov An-2 Colt and An-26 Curl transports.
Since the collapse of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the air force has shrunk several times. In 1991, it boasted more than 800 aircraft, but today Belgrade has access to less than 250 military- operated aircraft, many of questionable airworthiness.
The 1996 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty limits Yugoslavia to 153 combat aircraft and 53 attack helicopters. The air force was also a prime target of NATO air strikes in 1999, which destroyed all but five of the 16-strong MiG-29 fleet while dozens of other aircraft were destroyed on the ground and infrastructure was damaged.
Source: Flight International
