The Colonel-pilot Milenko Pavlović Air Base ( sr, Војни аеродром пуковник-пилот Миленко Павловић, Vojni aerodrom pukovnik-pilot Milenko Pavlović), commonly known as Batajnica Air Base ( sr, Војни аеродром Батајница, Vojni aerodrom Batajnica) is the main

military air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

of Serbia. It is located between

Batajnica Batajnica ( sr-Cyrl, Батајница, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade municipality of Zemun. Location and geography Batajnica is located in the Syrmia region, in the northern ...

and

Nova Pazova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

, about 25 km northwest from the center of

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Serbia. It is the only airport in Serbia with two runways.

History

Construction of the airbase started in 1947 and was completed in 1951, when the airbase was officially opened with one grass and two asphalted runways. The purpose of the airbase is to protect the capital Belgrade from aircraft attacks. It was known as 177th Air Base until the 2006 reorganization and was home of 204th Fighter-Aviation regiment, 138th Transport-Aviation Regiment and other units of

Yugoslav Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ� ...

. During the 1999

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

the airbase was heavily bombed for 25 days and sustained heavy damage. In 2019, Batajnica Air Base officially changed its name to Colonel-pilot Milenko Pavlović Air Base, in honor of

Milenko Pavlović Milenko Pavlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Миленко Павловић; 5 October 1959 – 4 May 1999) was a Yugoslav fighter pilot who fought in the Kosovo War and came to prominence after he was killed during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Ear ...

, a pilot killed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

Units

MiG-21 bis Batajnica, september 13, 2009

The base is the home station of the following

Serbian Air Force and Air Defence The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...

units: *

204th Air Brigade :: 101st

101st Fighter Squadron "Knights" :: 138 M

138th Transport Squadron :: Kurjaci sa ušća

252nd Training Squadron "Ušće Wolves" :: Pegazi

890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron "Pegasuses" :: 177th Air Force Air Defence Artillery Battalion :: 24th Air Technical Battalion :: 17th Air Base Security Battalion * Aeronautical Overhaul Institute "Moma Stanojlović" The air base also houses Air Force and Air Defence Training Center of the Training Command as well as the Center for Flight Tests of the

Technical Testing Center Technical Testing Center ( sr, Технички опитни центар, Tehnički opitni centar) is acceptance testing facility that provides testing of new and existing military aircraft, military vehicles, military equipment, battle systems, ...

References

External links

Batajnica Airport map

Batajnica Airbase pre-strike with visible control tower
{{authority control 1951 establishments in Yugoslavia Airports in Serbia Military airbases established in 1951 Serbian Air Force and Air Defence bases Transport in Belgrade Syrmia Yugoslav Air Force bases Motorsport venues in Serbia