18.03.2025.
Flight training at 101st Fighter Squadron
Members of the 101st Fighter Squadron, stationed at the Colonel-Pilot Milenko Pavlović military airport in Batajnica, undergo continuous training to maintain a high level of combat skill needed to monitor and protect the airspace of the Republic of Serbia.
Besides their engagement with the permanently engaged force, training is the most important task in this squadron equipped with the most powerful aircraft in the Serbian Armed Forces’ arsenal — the MiG 29 multi-purpose combat aircraft.The training allows the pilots and technicians to maintain their skills and a high level of competence, and provides additional training in airspace control and protection for new pilots.
Captain Žarko Žarković, a MiG-29 pilot, says that the main goal of flight training is to ensure that new unit members reach the required level of combat readiness so that they can go on duty as part of the permanently engaged force.
— Of course, flights generate a lot of excitement and each one is special in its own way, and you can always feel the adrenaline. You need to really love this job to be able to do it, you really need to be into flying — emphasized Captain Žarković.Through intensive training and skill improvement, the pilots get the experience they need to be able to address all the tasks assigned to them, which directly improves their combat ability, but also the unit’s ability to protect the airspace of the Republic of Serbia and the security of all its citizens.
Young men and women wishing to become pilots of the Serbian Armed Forces, who have completed their basic academic studies at civilian faculties and are up to 27 years of age this year, can apply for the SAF Reserve Aviation Officer Course, which is open to applications until March 31. After a six-month training, the best candidates will get the chance to join professional military service right away, continue training as aviation officers and earn the title of airplane pilot, helicopter pilot or remotely piloted aircraft pilot-operator.