Donation of Civil Aviation Directorate to Ministry of Defence
Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic and Director of the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia Mirjana Cizmarov signed today in the Great War Hall Contract on donation of funds to the Ministry of Defence for the supply of equipment for helicopters in the composition of the Air Force and Air Defence of the Serbian Armed Forces. It is the procurement of the crane SLG-300 for improvement of the operational capabilities of this branch of the army in search and rescue operations in the amount of 35 million dinars.
The signing of the Contract was attended by the members of the Defence Minister Collegium and representatives of the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia.
“This donation will help in a way that the recently acquired Mi-17 helicopter, which significantly improved the capacities of the Armed Forces, would be completely equipped with the search and rescue system in the Republic of Serbia”, Mirjana Cizmarov said.
Defence Minister thanked for the donation and emphasized that the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces assist population within its third mission and in this respect the cooperation with the Civil Aviation Directorate is intensive.
“We have established cooperation in some other fields, as well, and the confirmation of our good collaboration is this donation, which we signed today”, Defence Minister said and stressed that the Directorate has always had full understanding when it comes to the Ministry of Defence and wished that this cooperation would be even better and more productive in the future.
SLG-300 system, which will be procured, is intended for loading and unloading cargo and lowering people (no more than 2 people, weighing 300 kilograms) in the helicopter regime hovering at a height of 50 metres. The system encompasses electrical winch, control box, remote controller, three ropes – one for the winch and two reserve ones.
Answering the journalists’ questions after the signing of the donation, when it comes to the procurement of Russian MiGs, Minister said that the agreement has been made for around six MiGs, which should be the subject of the donation. The conditions, further modernization and development of this planes, as well as our aviation, will depend on agreement made with the Russian Federation and the issues that the Prime Minister will agree on 21st December during his visit to Russia, Defence Minister said.
Answering the question whether overhaul and modernization of the acquired technics will be done by our overhaul facilities, Defence Minister said that the Technical Overhaul Facility Kragujevac is on firm ground, it does business on its own and receives income, and we will try to do the same with the Technical Overhaul Facility Cacak and Moma Stanojlovic Aviation Institute. Minister emphasized that he expects that the Technical Overhaul Facility Cacak will start in this way by the middle of the next year and it will be easier for them because they do overhaul of armoured vehicles.
When it comes to Moma Stanojlovic Aviation Institute, in the economic protocol signed a month ago during the visit of Defence Minister to Moscow, it was signed that there is a will and wish for opening overhaul facility for Russian Mi-17 and Mi-8 helicopters here in Serbia, which means in Moma Stanojlovic.
“The second part of “Moma Stanojlovic” is connected to plans for purchasing Airbus helicopters – that Airbus opens its regional centre for those helicopters that we would like to buy and to give us full consent, certification of “Moma Stanojlovic” for overhaul and modernization of “gazela”, Defence Minister stressed and said that in this way “Moma Stanojlovic” will have more work to do than it has now, and that will open the door for new employment in accordance with the new work they would get.