126th ASEWG Brigade

The 126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance Brigade is a tactical unit within the Air Force and Air Defence responsible for controlling the airspace of the Republic of Serbia.

126th ASEWG Brigade
Commander, 126th ASEWG Brigade, Brigadier General Jovica Kepčija
- HQ Battalion
- 20th ASEWG Battalion
- 31st ASEWG Battalion

According to its organization and formation structure and equipment, the 126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance (ASEWG) Brigade is intended for:

conducting air space early warning and continuous control in the assigned area of responsibility,
informing certain users of the Republic of Serbia Defence System about the situation in airspace,
guiding combat aviation – fighter, providing navigation support to aircraft in need and directing air defence artillery-missile units to targets in airspace,
Providing data to the command system in Air Defence for the sake of timely decision-making.

Brigadier General Jovica Kepčija is the Commander of the 126th ASEWG Brigade.

Tasks of the 126th Brigade

The 126th ASEWG Brigade conducts the following tasks:

continuous surveillance of airspace in the area of responsibility,
detection and monitoring of targets in airspace,
conducts identification of targets in airspace,
organizes and conducts collecting, processing, presenting and distributing data about the situation in airspace to all levels of command in air defense and users within the Republic of Serbia Defence System,
conducts radar security and guidance of combat aviation – fighter, as well as directing air defense artillery-missile units to targets in airspace,
provides navigation support to aircraft in need,
conducts maintenance of radar-computing systems and automated systems, as well as technical support of other resources.

Units of the 126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance Brigade are equipped with three-dimensional long- and medium-range radars GM-400, GM-200 and AN/TPS-70, stationary and mobile automation systems SOVA-24, and the Mobile ASEW Centre.

Background of the 126th Brigade

After the breakdown of the SFRY, the 126th ASEWG Brigade was formed out of the existing three regiments on 12 October 1992.

During the 1999 military operations, the unit successfully conducted its tasks for all 78 days. The unit was awarded the Order of the National Hero for its outstanding courage and achievements during the military operation in 1999.

12 October is celebrated as the Day of the 126th ASEWG Brigade. On that day in 1992, the 126th ASEWG Brigade was formed, which included the personnel and equipment of the disbanded 3rd and 5th ASEWG regiments.