09.10.2020.
Minister Vulin: We will show strong armed forces and how safe and peaceful Serbia can be
- For the first time you will see that all helicopters are armed and they will all be in action and show that they can be used not only for transport, but that they can also be powerful combat machines. As the European Union likes to say, President Vučić is “to blame” for all aircraft, Mi-35, Mi-29 and Mi-17, and I must say that Aleksandar Vučić is responsible for equipping, purchasing and providing all those modern assets that we will present tomorrow – Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said today in the Morning Programme of the Radio Television of Serbia, announcing the exercise “Joint Action 2020” that will be carried out in the temporary exercise area “Pešter”.
He pointed out that he will check at today’s full-dress rehearsal whether everything is ready for tomorrow’s exercise.
According to him, we have not done anything like this with live ammunition for decades.
- There were times when we did not have tires, fuel or aircraft. Thanks to the Military Technical Agreement that President Vučić reached with President Putin, today we have 14 MiG-29 aircraft, thanks to a generous budget we have fuel, tires and operative aircraft, and we have always had exceptional pilots – Minister Vulin pointed out.
He pointed out that thanks to the equipment that the military now has, members of the Air Force have the opportunity to train with live ammunition in their own country, which wasn’t the case before, because it has been about 20 years since a MiG-29 last fired an air-to-surface missile and a whole generation of pilots have never fired a rocket or tried live ammunition, except at the firing range in Bulgaria once a year, or once every two years.
Minister Vulin emphasizes that, by watching the exercise “Joint Action 2020”, which starts on Pešter tomorrow at noon and will be broadcast live by the Radio Television of Serbia, citizens will be able to see what our armed forces are like and how safe and peaceful Serbia can be.
- We will take 3,000 people to Pešter, more than 40 aircraft, 150 combat and non-combat vehicles, a lot of live ammunition and armament. This is a message that we have modern, organized, strong armed forces that are able to ensure peace and security of all citizens of our country and all Serbs, wherever they live – Minister Vulin pointed out.
