The Day of 204th Air Force Brigade marked
The Day of the 204th Air Force Brigade and the 12th anniversary of the establishment of that unit have been officialy marked at the Batajnica Airport in the presence of Major General Duško Žarković, Air Force and Air Defence Commander.
Congratulating on the holiday, Brigadier General Željko Bilić, Commander of the 204th Air Force Brigade, reminded of the famous tradition of the unit.
History repeated itself in 1999, when heroism of pilots of the 6th and 204th fighter wing were shown by members of the units whose celebrated tradition is continued by the 204th Air Force Brigade. Aware of the responsibility of the generations of heroes who have incorporated their lives in our history so that we can live peacefully today, we have invested the maximum efforts in our everyday work and we did not disgrace them - General Bilić said and emphasized that by dedicated work they enhanced capability of continuous control and protection of the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Serbia
General Bilić emphasized that at the same time they are successfully introducing new aircraft into the armament and create a new generation of MiG 29 pilots.
- After the successful introduction of the new MiG-29, LASTA and Mi-17 B5 helicopters in service in the 204th Air Force Brigade, in the forthcoming years, we are to expect new major challenges such as the acquisition of new helicopters, an increase in the number of fighters and trainer aircraft, the acquisition of modern airborne weapons which will enable us to continue training of our members at home and abroad and with the necessary rejuvenation of the pilot and technical composition, to enable upgrading the operational capability of the brigade, a more successful and quality close air support for the Army, reconnaissance from the airspace, increase air lift and air landing capacities, as well as successful carrying out other tasks - General Bilić said.
At today's ceremony, awards and praises were given to the most successful members, and they were traditionally awarded with appreciation letters in memory of Major Zoran Radosavljević, followed by a formal parade of the units.
The Day of the 204th Air Force Brigade is celebrated on 2nd December 1949 when the 204th Fighter Aviation Wing was established having the longest tradition of all units that are included in the composition of the current 204th Air Force Brigade.