One Hundred Years of the Serbian Air Force
(1912. – 2012.)

 

Miroslav Jandrić

 

A hundred years ago, Serbia was among the first 15 countries in the world to have its own aviation and one of the first five to have its Air Force performing first combat actions as early as the beginning of March 1913 during the First Balkan War. Over these one hundred years, the Serbian Air Force has had 543 different aircraft models and 7,590 military aircraft out of which 3,748 were nationally produced.

The idea about an independent development of the national aviation industry was born in the early 20s of the last century when the newly-formed aviation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which had stemmed from the Kingdom of Serbia after WWI, made a decision to set up its own aircraft development industry. Therefore, the ŠB-1 trainer by Ikarus, introduced into the AF operational use on 28 March 1924, can be considered as the beginning of the aviation industry in the region.

Neither WWI, WWII nor the 1999 USA-led NATO air strikes on Serbia, which defended its right to existence, could not destroy Serbia’s aviation aspirations –Made in Serbia-tagged aircraft still have been produced and exported.