Belarus has agreed to donate eight surplus MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighter aircraft plus two Buk-M1 surface-to-air missile (SAM) air defence systems to Serbia.
The two countries signed a military-technical agreement on the donation on 26 January in Minsk.
In a statement given to the Serbian newspaper Politika after his return from Minsk, Serbian defence minister Zoran Djordjevic said that the equipment was donated free of cost, although Serbia will pay for the general overhaul and modernisation of the equipment in Belarus. The fighters and air defence systems are expected to join the Serbian military in 2018.
The modernisation of the Buk-M1 systems will reportedly include replacing about 85% of their electronics to bring them to the Buk-MB standard; the same standard operated by Azerbaijan. It is likely that the donated MiG-29s will be overhauled and modernised by the 558 Aircraft Repair Plant in Baranovichi. The MiG-29s are reportedly of the MiG-29 9.13 'Fulcrum-C' single-seat type.
Djordjevic said that details on the cost of overhaul and modernisation will be known after a Serbia-Belarusian body for defence co-operation is established in May. The co-operation body will also discuss the procurement of S-300 systems "more precisely versions S-300V and S-300PG that are in their service. These systems are and will be the topic of our talks and if they will become part of Serbia Army inventory depends on incoming detailed analysis and agreements".
According to Serbian media reports the two countries are also exploring defence industrial co-operation with a focus on the creation of joint ventures and the export market. Areas of possible co-operation include the sale of Serbian Crvena Zastava-made assault and sniper rifles equipped with Belarusian BelOMO-made sights and vision systems; joint overhaul of Soviet-made weapon systems; partnerships between Belarus and Serbia's military truck manufacturing firms; and other areas.
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