Serbian Air Force- Stuck at the crossroads.

This development, prompted Serbian defense industry into an absolute procurement frenzy and after the Azerbaijan/Armenia conflict it went into a panic mode as it recognized drones and UCAV's as the biggest threat. In order to counter the threat, emphasis was placed on a short range anti air systems and ammunition. Recently it bought Mistral short range missiles from France and Pantsir batteries from Russia. In addition, it started to develop domestic systems and ammunition. For the Bofors 40 mm anti aircraft gun it developed the 3P ammunition which has high effect against unmanned aircraft and other air targets. Based on the aerodynamic configuration of the AA2 Atoll missile from the Vietnam era a new projectile was made called RLN-IC FM-2. From the outside it looks like an Atoll but from the inside its a completely new missile. It has a digital control, new multi-channel seeker, warhead and the motor. The missile's heat seeking warhead has increased protection against the counter measures and the fact that is a 3 channel guided makes it very difficult to avoid (the missile uses its own heat seeking sensor which is backed up by optical and laser targeting guidance and recognition systems from the ground, in other words, ground station tells the missile what is a target and what is a decoy during the missile flight). At least, in theory. Live firing tests have been done and the missile did hit the targets.
From the aerial systems, the development of loitering ammunition, gave the birth to the Raven family of armed drones. at first it was a classical twin boom, pusher configuration that looks like a miniaturized OV-10 Bronco but in the latest iteration, it got folding wings which gives the Raven ability to be launched from a container in a swarm like configuration.

All in all Serbian defense industry finally caught up with the reality but the question is did it wake up on time and will its efforts be enough to avoid the disaster that is looming on the horizon.

Below are the Ravens, both in the initial configuration and a new.
 

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From the maps available on the internet, regarding the plans for the future war against Serbia, they go along known lines,aspirations and desires of our enemies or to use British politically correct pronoun "competitors". Current developments and actions follow closely this map and point areas for future operations. We see that Croatia plans to finish its program in Bosnia and to take a good chunk of Serbia. Albanians also work in sync with them on their territorial expansion. Current focus on ground support missions by the SAF indicate that Serbia will not be able to hold two front attack, the western and the southern and that focusing on surface to air systems as a primary way to defend is airspace is too foolish and inadequate, at least by my opinion.
We will see how it will go, so far, everything points out to this scenario.
 

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As the situation in Afghanistan naturally nears to its logical end the new wave of "migrants" is almost certain. Parallel with that, there is an ongoing war against narco cartel from Montenegro whom gruesome executions shocked the public as well as its political ties to the high government officials. With this disruption in the illegal funding and cash and drugs flow, the danger of narco cartels sparking the new ethnic conflict in order to maintain their business grows exponentially.
The "white noise" regarding new acquisitions is also unbearable, latest one being the acquisition of Buk M3 "Viking" SAM systems, few days ago. It is really difficult to separate facts from fiction but the amount of "chatter" is increasing steadily, indicating the rise in tensions.
 
Ten minutes ago, "Kosovo" president announced that they are willing to accept Afghan "refugees". Meanwhile, there was another acquisition of two Ka-32 helicopters and negotiations for the acquisition of 11 Mi-35P are underway. All pieces are falling into the place just as it was predicted.
 
Most recent development has produced first domestic ramjet engine and the new areal platform that can serve as a targeting drone or a cruise missile with possible anti ship role.
 

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Versus, I'd like to get your views on this announcement. I think it is a good move.

https://www.aviacionline.com/2021/1...rt-aircraft-and-h145-helicopters-from-airbus/


Serbia is to acquire C295 transport aircraft and H145 helicopters from Airbus


During the first day of the Partner 2021 defense exhibition in Belgrade, Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic announced that a contract with Airbus for the acquisition of two C295 and a batch of H145M helicopters would be signed in a few months.

According to the Serbian defense website Tango Six (T6), the minister’s statements reportedly followed a meeting he held with the National Armament Director of the Spanish Defense Ministry, Admiral Santiago Gomez on October 11, the first day of the Partner 2021 exhibition held in the country’s capital.
Airbus H145 «Cobra» of the Ecuadorian Air Force
The Serbian Air Force currently has only one An-2 and one An-26 as its only cargo aircraft, so the C295s would not only be a necessary replacement, but would significantly increase the Force’s transport capabilities, while gaining operational flexibility thanks to the possibility of installing various kits (tanker, firefighting, MEDEVAC, ISR, etc) available for the aircraft.

Leonardo was also present at Partner 2021 (for the first time) with a stand in Hall 4, promoting products such as the M346 trainer and, particularly, the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. But it seems that it is too late for Leonardo and the decision came down on the side of Airbus Spain.
With the aerial refueling kit, the C295 can offer great operational flexibility and become a powerful force multiplier.
The future agreement with Airbus would be made according to the «Government-to-Government» principle, for which a memorandum of cooperation between Spain and Serbia has already been signed. The procurement process is just beginning, the signing of the procurement contracts for the C295 and H145M could take place by the end of this year or early 2022.
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Albany Rifles said:
Versus, I'd like to get your views on this announcement. I think it is a good move.

https://www.aviacionline.com/2021/1...rt-aircraft-and-h145-helicopters-from-airbus/
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Yeah, from what I know, that deal is a go. Our transport fleet resources are all but expired so this one is an urgent matter. Also they will get two helicopters from Kamov with coaxial rotors for firefighting and mountain rescue operations (I think that they are Ka-32 but I need to check). H145's proved to be a good choice and our pilots love them a lot. Also a cooperation with Airbus is established for our weapon and ordinance integration which should be beneficial for both parties. What can I say, our defense industry is still in overdrive on multiple fields and they are producing new things so fast that it is difficult to keep paste with the development.
However, that speed sometimes comes with a price, like today, when a rocket fuel depo exploded not far away from the place where I live. This one was intense.
 

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Versus said:
Yeah, from what I know, that deal is a go. Our transport fleet resources are all but expired so this one is an urgent matter. Also they will get two helicopters from Kamov with coaxial rotors for firefighting and mountain rescue operations (I think that they are Ka-32 but I need to check). H145's proved to be a good choice and our pilots love them a lot. Also a cooperation with Airbus is established for our weapon and ordinance integration which should be beneficial for both parties. What can I say, our defense industry is still in overdrive on multiple fields and they are producing new things so fast that it is difficult to keep paste with the development.
However, that speed sometimes comes with a price, like today, when a rocket fuel depo exploded not far away from the place where I live. This one was intense.
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WHOOAH!!! That sucks. I manage the Army's munitions software program and I know all about net explosive weight and safety precautions. But that is one big blast.

I think our UH-72 Lakota is a variant of the H145 and our pilots love it.

What do you see for helo gunship going forward?
 
Albany Rifles said:
WHOOAH!!! That sucks. I manage the Army's munitions software program and I know all about net explosive weight and safety precautions. But that is one big blast.

I think our UH-72 Lakota is a variant of the H145 and our pilots love it.

What do you see for helo gunship going forward?
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Yeah, it was a big blast. According to the reports 500 MRLS rocket motors exploded in the depot and unfortunately, so far we have two confirmed deaths. Although the fire has been contained, I can still hear explosions.

For the gunships, it seems that they opted for high low mix. Mi 35's as heavy and H145 as light attack role. Also SAF has SA-342 from the olden days that are being upgraded with new types of
missiles. In addition there are couple of VTOL UCAV's that are going trough the trials but God knows when they will enter service if they enter at all. The main problem are the resources, most of our aiframes are old and nearing the end of their lifecycle. Even the MiG 29's that we bought recently are just a stop gap measure until the real replacement aiframe is defined. I am guessing that that is the reason why they went absolutely berserk on the UAV/UCAV/loitering/cruising munition front.

Personally, I don't like the direction in which our defense industry is heading (and I am not afraid to say it openly, which is the reason why I am banned form tango six (they are a good source of information,nevertheless)). Too many prototypes, too many systems form different manufacturers and countries will create logistic and maintenance nightmare for the personnel. On one side, it is good that they are working and generating profit and getting skills, but on the other side there is a felling that they actually don't know what they want and what systems they need to procure or design. Most of our defense industry projects are export oriented and the fact that they are made here doesn't mean that they will be introduced into service within our armed forces. But they are good for shows and exhibitions and everlasting Balkan peacocking.

You know...whom has the biggest ....
 
Here some of the VTOL UAV/UCAV platforms that are under development.
 

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1. As far as supporting multiple platforms....I know that pain. I am an Acquisition Logistician for over 30 years so system sustainability is right in my wheelhouse. I like to remind people that when the US Army got the M1 tank, we didn't just get a new tank. We also got new fuel trucks, repair parts, tank recovery vehicles, heavy truck transporters, mobile bridges, rail cars...all new systems needed to support the new tank and its added weight, etc. Need to look at full life cycle costs.

2. I think our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan really started to show the value of drones in warfare. The recent Azerbaijan-Armenia War showed the real value of hunter killer drones. No surprise that folks are going all in on a cheaper attack option. Much easier on the pilot training.
 
Heh, yeh, aside from UAV/UCAV they also developed few UGV and UCGV's. It seems that they are going skynet with full throttle.
 
Another big purchase are ground based radar systems. GM 200 and GM 400 from Thales, various electronic warfare systems from Russia and anti drone jamming equipment is also acquired. The big surprise is the possibility that Serbia might also get Rafale jets as the replacement for the MiG 29's.
 
On February 23 2022, delegation from Serbia signed a contract for purchase of of two C295 from Airbus. The deal is 81 million euros.
 
As expected, SAF has emerging problem with the latest acquisition of M-35P from Cyprus. These machines are nearing their service cycle and their overhaul and eventual upgrade now seems almost impossible, due to sanctions imposed on Russia. Another possible problem of the same nature, faces the H-145 fleet,since EU demands for us to impose sanctions to Russia as well and is threatening us with sanctions if we don't do it, which places the H-145 at risk because Eu might sanction their regular maintenance as well. This brings, again, the historical incapacity of the Serbian elite to make strategic decisions and consequently always to triple the costs of its military assets. Just as it happened at the eve of WW2 when it had both British Hurricanes and German Me-109, it faced shortages of spare parts for both machines due to hostilities between UK and Germany and that lead to its poor performance when the Nazi's invaded, it does the same thing again with acquiring assets from both East and West and it is in risk to lose both in the upcoming times. The idea of domestic, indigenous air frames and systems, tailored for our very specific needs, is as abstract as sending Serbs to the Moon or Mars, on our own.
 
This outcome is actually expected although the timing might be somewhat problematic. Former Yugoslavia and later on Serbia and Dassult aviation have a long standing cooperation in the aviation sector.

It all started by the end of the first half of the 80'es, when the requirements for the MiG-21 replacement have been defined. In the inner circle of the Yugoslavian airforce, the contenders were F-16 Fighting falcon, Mirage 2000 and the F-20 tigershark. When the F-20, although much praised by our test pilots, whom went to the US to fly it, was dropped by the Northrop, the choice went to F-16 and the Mirage 2000. However, the imminent collapse of the Soviet union meant that their newly built MiG 29 will be cheaper alternative and after its demonstration in Finland, than chief of the Yugoslavian airforce, general Anton Tus, strongly pushed for its acquisition which happened in the second half of the 80es. The splinter cell within Yugoslavian airforce that opted for F-15 was removed in silence.

However, while the battle for the new air frame acquisition was raging in the higher circles of the airforce brass, lower echelons were aware of the situation and were much less driven by the politics and ideology. Their efforts resulted with a domestic replacement for the aging MiG 21 in the form of the NA project. The NA means New Aircraft and in essence it was a Dassult Rafale with the single engine. There were two main configurations, one with the semi ventral air intakes like the Rafale and the other one with the inlet similar to the F-16, Israel's Lavi or Chinese J-10. Airframe had all the bells and whistles, from the composite materials, al-li alloys, titanium in its construction to the cockpit which had voice controls as an added bonus. The main partner for this project was the Dassult.

But it was too late. Yugoslavia broke apart and the NA was lost. The only proof of its existence that remains is a fully functional cockpit with the FBW and voice controls and the model for wind tunnel testing.

From the historical point of view, SAF has made a full circle. It was born, so to speak, in France. The first fighter planes were French in the WW1, than it went with the British and German designs in the WW2, than with the US with Thunderjets and Sabres, than went to the Russians with MiG 21 and 29 and now it returns to its origins with the Rafales.

Poetic and romantic, in some way.
 

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The Rafale acquisition has another cost attached to it and that is the replacement for the advanced jet trainer. Considering that, than Yugoslavia and now Serbia have a long standing cooperation with Boeing that stretches for decades, T-7 is the most likely option and current air force brass is eying it with a great passion.
 
In the latest news, the number of Rafale squadrons has been raised from one to two. One brand new and one used, for the price around 2,5 to 3 billion euros for 24 aircraft. But its more likely 5 when all additional costs are included.
 
Errr, slight change of plans. Its not two squadrons of Rafales its one squadron of new Rafales and one squadron of used Eurofighters from RAF. Well its back to the 1940 when we had hurricanes and Me-109. I guess that our neutrality must be maintained at any cost. Ok, we will see how this will go.
 
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Versus said:
Errr, slight change of plans. Its not two squadrons of Rafales its one squadron of new Rafales and one squadron of used Eurofighters from RAF. Well its back to the 1940 when we had hurricanes and Me-109. I guess that our neutrality must be maintained at any cost. Ok, we will see how this will go.
Click to expand...

What does the deal bring you in terms of spares and tech data? Training for ground crew? Are the munitions in your inventories work with these aircraft or will new munitions need to be procured.

Those are the real long term costs.

As an Acquisition Logistician it is always my job on a program to ask these questions...which is why I was usually the least liked person on the staff!
 
Albany Rifles said:
What does the deal bring you in terms of spares and tech data? Training for ground crew? Are the munitions in your inventories work with these aircraft or will new munitions need to be procured.

Those are the real long term costs.

As an Acquisition Logistician it is always my job on a program to ask these questions...which is why I was usually the least liked person on the staff!
Click to expand...

Have no idea, the news just came out and I am in shock. I mean, it is somewhat understandable with the Rafales, considering previous cooperation it has some, although very shaky, grounds. But this, this was totally unexpected. Over all I think that the bill will be between 5 to 7 billion euros if not more, just for the squadron and the spares and the logistic.If successful those aircraft would have to go to the serious overhaul and maintenance checkups because its RAF. They do fly them a lot. We are switching to the Western gear I just didn't expect it to be this fast and this massive. If completed this will be the fastest overhaul and upgrade of our military in history. Crew training is another question and that will be the big issue. But the biggest issue will be integrating all those systems into coherent defense package. Luckily for us, our military has a vast experience in doing just that. It will be a Frankenstein but as long as it does its thing. I am all for it.
 
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Sometimes I wonder, if it would be more economically viable to rent our AFB's to USAF and call it a day. If the mushroom season comes, its really doesn't make any difference if the nukes land on Kosovo or us, so why bother.
 
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