Tour of the Serbian Armed Forces Units at the Military Airport in Niš
Sunday, 12.12.2021 | CHOD's Activities
Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces: I am proud of the progress of our military
Today, the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces and President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vučić, visited the military airport "Sergeant-Pilot Mihajlo Petrović" in Niš with the Minister of Defence, Nebojša Stefanović and the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović.
The tour began with a meeting with directors of companies from the Serbian Defense Industry group, which was also attended by the Ministers of Finance and Economy, Siniša Mali and Anđelka Atanacković, followed by a display of capabilities of the Air Force and Air Defence helicopter units and the 63rd Parachute Brigade.
After the display, the President of the Republic said that for the needs of the Serbian Armed Forces in the next five years, the state would order weapons and military equipment worth 1.25 billion euros from the domestic defense industry, estimating that this way our military would be modernized, along with everything that is purchased from Russian and French partners.
— We expect precisely 30 helicopters, out of which 11 will be H-145, four Mi-35, three Mi-17, plus 11 or 12 used Mi-35 that we are buying from one member of the European Union, so we will be, if I may I say, the helicopter superpower in this region.
Speaking about the standard of the Serbian Armed Forces professional personnel, President Vučić reminded that salaries in the military had increased by 70% in the previous eight years, i.e. that they had grown by around 7.5% per year in the conditions of fiscal consolidation.
— On average, a member of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence currently has a total income of 120,000 dinars, which includes duty and additional shifts. The income is not small, but soldiers, officers, non-commissioned officers are under pressure, because they do the work of two people — the Serbian Armed Forces Supreme Commander pointed out and added that salaries will continue to grow and that work will be done on better manning in the future.
At today's display of the part of the Air Force and Air Defence helicopter units and the 63rd Parachute Brigade at the military airport in Niš, the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces had the opportunity to witness the high level of training of the Serbian Armed Forces personnel for conducting air support of special forces, tactical helicopter landing and air evacuation. At the end of the display of capabilities, parachute jumps with the flags of the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces were performed, followed by a parade of aircraft.
