250th Air Defense Missile Brigade
Encyclopedia
The 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade is a joint tactical unit of Serbian Air Force and Air Defense. It consists of three rocket missile air defense battalions, three self-propelled rocket missile air defense battalions and a command company.
The command of the brigade is based at "Banjica" military barracks, located in Banjica
, a suburb of Belgrade
. Three "Neva" battalions are deployed around Belgrade, first one at Jakovo, second one at Zuce, and another one at Batajnica Air Base, while three "Kub-M" battalions are deployed near the towns of Niš
, Novi Sad
and Kragujevac
.
The Brigade was formed during the existence of Yugoslavia
, serving in the militaries of both the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
. Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, it continued to serve in the military of Serbia
. During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
, the Brigade shot down an F-117 Nighthawk, believed to be the first shootdown of a stealth aircraft, and the only loss of an F-117 in combat.
was established in Belgrade with the task of defending that city, which was at that time the capital of Communist-controlled Yugoslavia
. Between 1962 and 1980, the 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment was armed with S-75 Dvina
(NATO designation: SA-2 Guideline) high-level air defense system and its structure was composed of four rocket and one rocket-technical battalions. In 1966 1st and 2nd Missile battalions, rocket-technical battalions and part of regiments command were sent to Soviet Union, rocket-polygon for missile shooting of PVO units "Ashuluk" near Astrakhan
. The shooting was done on September 30. This task was successfully accomplished. The 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment international military public represented itself in the best possible way, and in the beginning of October Regiment returned from the USSR. This was the first time that a Yugoslav People's Army
unit went abroad for its task execution, so the preparation for shooting is dedicated to the special attention.
The 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment changed its name to 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade in 1980 as a result of its expansion with four rocket and one rocket-technical battalions of the S-125M Neva-M (SA-3 Goa) medium-level air defense system. The next evolution in the structure of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade took place in 1992 when that unit acquired the 350th Air Defense Missile Regiment (350. raketni puk PVO, 350. rp PVO) that regiment being armed with S-125M Neva-M has been pulled off from Slovenia
following that country declaration for independence from the rest of Yugoslavia
. This change finally initiated the long-waited retirement of the Dvina rocket system from the structure of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade. When JNA
was officially dissolved in May 1992, the unit joined the newly formed Military of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as part of Air Defense Corps of FRY Air Force and Air Defense
. In period form 1994 to 1996 missile battalion armed with S-75 Dvina air defense system were disband.
When Yugoslavia came under NATO attack (named Operation Allied Force
) in 1999, the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade was armed only with the Neva-M medium-level air defense system. The brigade was active during 78 days of NATO attacks 24 hours per day. Its units performed 111 maneuvers, occupied 88 fire positions and relocated its equipment to more than one hundred locations. It was attacked from the air with bomb and missile strikes more than a hundred times.
On March 27, the 3rd Battery under command of Colonel
Zoltán Dani
shot down a stealth
F-117 Nighthawk using a modification of the Neva-M system. The Nighthawk, sporting the markings "AF 82 806 HO" crashed in the vicinity of the village of Buđanovci, near Ruma
in Srem
. It was believed to be the first confirmed shootdown of a stealth technology aircraft.
On May 2, a USAF F-16CJ Fighting Falcon was shot down by the 250th Brigade in area of Novi Sad
close to the village of Nakučani, near Šabac
. The aircraft was flown by USAF Lt. Colonel David Goldfein, commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron
http://www.f-16.net/news_article2167.html.
(where it was deployed for 12 years after being pulled out of Macedonia in 1992) in the Belgrade area where it was integrated into the structure of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade.
The recent integration of all Serbian Army
Kub-M systems within the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade marked the end of the existence of three other Serbian air defense units: the 230th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regiment (230. samohodni raketni puk protivvazduhoplovne odbrane, 230. srp PVO) based in the town of Niš
, the 240th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regiment (240. srp PVO) based in the town of Novi Sad
and the 310th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regimen (310. srp PVO) based in the town of Kragujevac
. Previously, in 2004, Serbian-Montenegrin Armed Forces
disbanded another Kub-M unit - the 60th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regiment (60. srp PVO) based in the town of Danilovgrad and responsible for the defense of Montenegrin capital Podgorica.
systems S-125M1T "Neva" and 2K12 "Kub-M" and supporting equipment, as surveillance and surveillance-acquisition radars P-12
and P-18
for "Neva", reconnaissance-radar station P-40
with reconnaissance-aviation radar 1RL-128D-1 and PRV-16B altitude assessment radar for "Kub". In addition the units are armed with 9K32 "Strela-2"
man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile systems (MANPAD). The Neva systems have been modernized to S-125M1T standard with an upgraded digital radar receiver DP/P-12 which enables operation from a location 500m away from the radar cabin.
The command of the brigade is based at "Banjica" military barracks, located in Banjica
Banjica
Banjica is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between the Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac and Voždovac .- Location :...
, a suburb of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Three "Neva" battalions are deployed around Belgrade, first one at Jakovo, second one at Zuce, and another one at Batajnica Air Base, while three "Kub-M" battalions are deployed near the towns of Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
and Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
.
The Brigade was formed during the existence of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, serving in the militaries of both the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
. Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, it continued to serve in the military of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, the Brigade shot down an F-117 Nighthawk, believed to be the first shootdown of a stealth aircraft, and the only loss of an F-117 in combat.
History
The 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade history goes back to November 25, 1962, when 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment (250. raketni puk PVO, 250. rp PVO) of JRV i PVOSFR Yugoslav Air Force
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Air Force , was the air force of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . Formed in 1945, it was preceded by the Yugoslav Royal Air Force which was disbanded in 1941, following the German occupation of Yugoslavia...
was established in Belgrade with the task of defending that city, which was at that time the capital of Communist-controlled Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Between 1962 and 1980, the 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment was armed with S-75 Dvina
S-75 Dvina
The S-75 Dvina is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude, command guided, surface-to-air missile system...
(NATO designation: SA-2 Guideline) high-level air defense system and its structure was composed of four rocket and one rocket-technical battalions. In 1966 1st and 2nd Missile battalions, rocket-technical battalions and part of regiments command were sent to Soviet Union, rocket-polygon for missile shooting of PVO units "Ashuluk" near Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
. The shooting was done on September 30. This task was successfully accomplished. The 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment international military public represented itself in the best possible way, and in the beginning of October Regiment returned from the USSR. This was the first time that a Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
unit went abroad for its task execution, so the preparation for shooting is dedicated to the special attention.
The 250th Air Defense Missile Regiment changed its name to 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade in 1980 as a result of its expansion with four rocket and one rocket-technical battalions of the S-125M Neva-M (SA-3 Goa) medium-level air defense system. The next evolution in the structure of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade took place in 1992 when that unit acquired the 350th Air Defense Missile Regiment (350. raketni puk PVO, 350. rp PVO) that regiment being armed with S-125M Neva-M has been pulled off from Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
following that country declaration for independence from the rest of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. This change finally initiated the long-waited retirement of the Dvina rocket system from the structure of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade. When JNA
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
was officially dissolved in May 1992, the unit joined the newly formed Military of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as part of Air Defense Corps of FRY Air Force and Air Defense
Air Force of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro
The Air Force of Serbia and Montenegro , also named Air Force of Yugoslavia in the 1992-2003 period, was the air force of the former Serbia and Montenegro. It had around 300 fighter aircraft, ground attack aircraft, and other...
. In period form 1994 to 1996 missile battalion armed with S-75 Dvina air defense system were disband.
1999 combat experience
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
) in 1999, the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade was armed only with the Neva-M medium-level air defense system. The brigade was active during 78 days of NATO attacks 24 hours per day. Its units performed 111 maneuvers, occupied 88 fire positions and relocated its equipment to more than one hundred locations. It was attacked from the air with bomb and missile strikes more than a hundred times.
On March 27, the 3rd Battery under command of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Zoltán Dani
Zoltán Dani
Zoltán Dani is a former colonel of the Yugoslav Army and former commander of the 3rd battery of the 250th Missile Brigade, which shot down an F-117 Nighthawk near the village of Buđanovci on 27 March 1999, during the Kosovo War. The hit was achieved with a SA-3 Goa SAM system...
shot down a stealth
Stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft are aircraft that use stealth technology to avoid detection by employing a combination of features to interfere with radar as well as reduce visibility in the infrared, visual, audio, and radio frequency spectrum. Development of stealth technology likely began in Germany during...
F-117 Nighthawk using a modification of the Neva-M system. The Nighthawk, sporting the markings "AF 82 806 HO" crashed in the vicinity of the village of Buđanovci, near Ruma
Ruma
Ruma is a town and municipality located in Vojvodina, Serbia at . In 2002 the town had a total population of 34,229, while Ruma municipality had a population of 60,006.-History:...
in Srem
Srem
Śrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
. It was believed to be the first confirmed shootdown of a stealth technology aircraft.
On May 2, a USAF F-16CJ Fighting Falcon was shot down by the 250th Brigade in area of Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
close to the village of Nakučani, near Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
. The aircraft was flown by USAF Lt. Colonel David Goldfein, commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron
555th Fighter Squadron
The 555th Fighter Squadron is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy. It operates F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting an air superiority mission.-Mission:...
http://www.f-16.net/news_article2167.html.
Reorganization
The last significant moment in the history of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade took place in October 2004 when Neva-M armed 450th Air Defense Missile Regiment (450. raketni puk PVO, 450. rp PVO) ceased to exist after it was previously transferred from the town of KraljevoKraljevo
Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...
(where it was deployed for 12 years after being pulled out of Macedonia in 1992) in the Belgrade area where it was integrated into the structure of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade.
The recent integration of all Serbian Army
Serbian Army
-Objectives:The Serbian Army is responsible for:* deterring armed threats* defending Serbia's territory* participation in peacekeeping operations* providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief-Personnel:...
Kub-M systems within the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade marked the end of the existence of three other Serbian air defense units: the 230th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regiment (230. samohodni raketni puk protivvazduhoplovne odbrane, 230. srp PVO) based in the town of Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, the 240th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regiment (240. srp PVO) based in the town of Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
and the 310th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regimen (310. srp PVO) based in the town of Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
. Previously, in 2004, Serbian-Montenegrin Armed Forces
Military of Serbia and Montenegro
The Military of Serbia and Montenegro were the armed forces of the Serbia and Montenegro...
disbanded another Kub-M unit - the 60th Self-Propelled Air Defense Missile Regiment (60. srp PVO) based in the town of Danilovgrad and responsible for the defense of Montenegrin capital Podgorica.
Structure
- 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade
- Command Battery
- 1st Air Defense Missile Battalion
- 2nd Air Defense Missile Battalion
- 230th Air Defense Self-Propelled Missile Battalion
- 240th Air Defense Self-Propelled Missile Battalion
- 310th Air Defense Self-Propelled Missile Battalion
Tasks
250th Air Defence Missile Brigade units perform the following tasks:- Aerial combat
- Air defense
- Responding to incidents in national airspace
- Participation in international military exercises
- Support actions and countering possible terrorist acts from the air
- Training, building and maintaining combat readiness
Equipment
The main equipment of a brigade consists of Soviet-made surface-to-air missileSurface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
systems S-125M1T "Neva" and 2K12 "Kub-M" and supporting equipment, as surveillance and surveillance-acquisition radars P-12
P-12 radar
The P-12 "Yenisei" was an early 2D VHF radar developed and operated by the former Soviet Union.-Development:...
and P-18
P-18 radar
The P-18 or 1RL131 is a 2D VHF radar developed and operated by the former Soviet Union.- Development :...
for "Neva", reconnaissance-radar station P-40
P-40 radar
The P-40 "Armour" or 1S12 is a 3-D UHF radar developed and operated by the former Soviet Union.-Development:...
with reconnaissance-aviation radar 1RL-128D-1 and PRV-16B altitude assessment radar for "Kub". In addition the units are armed with 9K32 "Strela-2"
Strela 2
The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile systems (MANPAD). The Neva systems have been modernized to S-125M1T standard with an upgraded digital radar receiver DP/P-12 which enables operation from a location 500m away from the radar cabin.
See also
- Zoltán DaniZoltán DaniZoltán Dani is a former colonel of the Yugoslav Army and former commander of the 3rd battery of the 250th Missile Brigade, which shot down an F-117 Nighthawk near the village of Buđanovci on 27 March 1999, during the Kosovo War. The hit was achieved with a SA-3 Goa SAM system...
, former commander of the 3rd battery of the 250th Missile Brigade which shot down an F-117 and an F-16.