Batajnica Air Base Explained

Colonel-pilot Milenko Pavlović Air Base
Nativename-A:Вoјни аеродром пуковник-пилот Миленко Павловић
Iata:BJY
Icao:LYBT
Type:Military air base
Operator: Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
City-Served:Belgrade
Location:Belgrade,
Built:1947
Used:1951 - present
Elevation-F:281
Pushpin Map:Serbia
R1-Number:11/29
R1-Length-F:3,609
R1-Length-M:1,100
R1-Surface:Grass
R2-Number:12R/30L
R2-Length-F:7,999
R2-Length-M:2,438
R2-Surface:Asphalt
R3-Number:12L/30R
R3-Length-F:8,209
R3-Length-M:2,502
R3-Surface:Asphalt

The Colonel-pilot Milenko Pavlović Air Base (Serbian: Војни аеродром пуковник-пилот Миленко Павловић|Vojni aerodrom pukovnik-pilot Milenko Pavlović), commonly known as Batajnica Air Base (Serbian: Војни аеродром Батајница|Vojni aerodrom Batajnica) is the main military air base of Serbia. It is located between Batajnica and Nova Pazova, about 25 km northwest from the center of Belgrade, Serbia.

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.

During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia 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, a pilot killed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.[1]

Units

The base is the home station of the following Serbian Air Force and Air Defence units:

101st Fighter Squadron "Knights"

138th Transport Squadron "Storks"

252nd Training Squadron "Ušće Wolves"

890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron "Pegasuses"

177th Air Force Air Defence Artillery Battalion

24th Air Technical Battalion

17th Air Base Security Battalion

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.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Aerodrom Batajnica dobio ime po pilotu poginulom u ratu 1999. . 22 July 2019 . n1info.com . Beta . 26 June 2019 . sr . 4 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200804022906/http://rs.n1info.com/Vesti/a494890/Aerodrom-Batajnica-promenio-ime.html . dead .