Belarus upgrades MiG-29 jets for Serbia Air Force

Belarus is upgrading four MiG-29 fighter jets at a "brotherly price," Serbian President Alexander Vučić said after his visit to Belarus, the Serbian news outlet Informer reports. Serbia is scheduled to have received the planes by the end of 2019.

According to the Serbian outlet, four MiG-29s are currently being upgraded at the aircraft overhaul plant in Baranavicy.

"I thank President Lukashenka for the donation of four MiG-29s and the fact that the prices of overhaul repairs we received are very favorable. Belarus has significantly helped Serbia's defensive capabilities, and we are very grateful for that," Serbian President Alexander Vučić said after his meeting with Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus handed over four MiG-29s to Serbia in February 2019 as part of military and technical assistance. They stayed in Belarus for the upgrade of the navigation system and, possibly, the system of weapons and electronic protection. It is expected that the aircraft upgrade will take up to a year and a half to complete. 

"Together with these four MiG-29s, the Serbian Air Force fleet will be the most powerful in the Balkans," the Serbian Informer reports. 

Military and political observer of Politics Miroslav Lazanski told the Informer that the Belarusian versions of Migs are among the most advanced in the world. He said:

"Belarus has high-precision equipment, the quality of its aircraft overhauls is very high. They have very powerful aviation, and their versions of MiG have been upgraded to the modern level. They will improve these four MiG-29s to the level of the other ten aircraft we have for a symbolic price."