FRA MiG-29 book by Yefim Gordon

I collect Yefim Gordon books ,especialy RED STAR VOLUME series(but they are very rare in bookstores on Balcan:( and i like all his books..but i allways find some errors in this books..he is great author but i would like that he make some better research job before he publish some data..There are people who would like to help him and wich would not ask money for such data!

Here is an exsample
FRA MiG-29 book
Gordon says:
“The type was also involved in the war in ex Yugoslavia…No information is availabe
wether MiG-29(L-18) was used in the civil war stage.”

Well there are informations …
Yugoslav army used fulcrums for bombing hi rentable
targets and air protection of strike planes(J-21,J-22 and G-4)mainly in Croatia near Hungarian border.
All aircraft surrvied only 3 had minor damages made by croatian anti aircraft artilery,they were easiely repaired and returned to service.

Than Gordons wirte story about “pilot Gvozden Djukic who shot down F-117A.”

There is NO pilot with such name(i know names af all Yugoslav MiG-29 pilots,i know some of them for many years..and some of them for all my life:)But Gvozden Djukic has some connection with F-117!.Gvozden Djukic is military code name for comander od unit wich shot
down USAF F-117A.His real name is collonel Zoltan Dany (Zoltan Dani).F-117 was shot down with S-125M Neva M system produced in USSR and slightly modified in Yugoslavia.

I will write a lilte more about yugoslav fulcrums..just a lilte more.
In the second half of 80s,between Mirage 2000 and MiG-29, JNA (jugoslovenska narodna armija)chosed MiG-29.Yugoslava bought 16 planes(14 B and two UB )in 1987.
12 pilots and 28 mechanicans(from 204.lap/fighter regiment/were sent from
Batajnica AB(SFRY)to Lugovaya(USSR)
24.september 1987. first planes landed on Batajnica AB(2 UBs) and in 1988. all
MiG-21bis/UMs were replaced by new fulcrums in 127. lae(fighter squadron)Vitezovi(Knights).
Aircraft recived military names L-18(for B) and NL-18 (for UB)
numbers were 18101-18114 for B and 18302/18301 for UB.
When civil war started ,Yugoslav army used fulcrums for bombing hi rentable
targets and air protection of strike planes(J-21,J-22 and G-4)
In that kind of missions 2 fulcrums were always in air.To prevent civil losses
pilots were flying on low altitude (and were easy targets for enemy anti aircraft gunnery and light missiles(Strela 2M and stingers) but fortunately all aircraft surrvived. In 1992. aircraft recived new markings.
In 1996. aircraft didnt have planed general overhaul(reasons:UN sanctions and lack of money).Aircrafts were flyable(mechanicans were doing miracles) but range of its radars faded to 60km and worked improperly!
24 march 1999. Migs were dislocated form Batajnica AB to other bases in Yugoslavia..the army tactics was to send 2 or sometimes only one MiG on against 30-40 nato planes in Yugoslav sky!
Migs were armed with 4 R-73 and 2 R-27R (we havnt any R-27T)
Holand F-16AM shot down 18111(major Nikolic ejected safely near Titel.
Major Milutinovic(nickname Grof/Count/- ejected safely when amraam(some sources say:SAM- KUB missile)
from USAF F-15C hit his plane 18106,mountine Jastrebac.
18112 shot down near Suva Reka,Kosovo,major Arizanov ejected safley and also surrived close encoter with
KLA(albanian terorsits).18104 was damaged but landed safe (major Ilic) important parts were taken off that plane and NATO planes destroyed it on gorund some time later.26. march captain Radosavljevic was killed in his 18113 and his friend Peric(nick name Debeli/Fatty/
ejected safe from 18114 ..USAF F-15Cs shot down their migs wich crashed in Bosnia.Some sources reporeted
that Radosavljevic shot down one F-15,there was also video of that F-15 parts on Bosnian television
but immediately forbbiden by SFOR.
4.may commander of 204. lap lieutenent colonel Pavlovic took off on his personal request (18109)to
save life of his younger colleague..10 missiles were launched on his plane..he exibited 2
but he was hit by others and also hit from the gorund by anti aircraft gun-pilot killed aircaft
crashed near his vilage Petnica.
18103,18107,18302 were destryed on gorund and 18110 lost by pilot mistake.
18101,18102 18105 ,18108 ,18301 surrvived the war (mostly beouse NATO deastroyed M-18 1/1 models
on ground and thought that these 5 planes are models:)
Aircraft were used until 2004. (still without overhaul!)
And finally on 22. dec. 2006. went in overhaul plant MoMa (Batajnica) were this aircrafts were under
repair and small modernisation(navigation systems) in cooperation with MAPO MiG.First aircraft had temporary sheme and than all aircraft recived new low vis camo. Now all four MiG-29 are in serivce of 101. lae while 18102 still waits its owerhaul.

Best regards
Svetozar Yokanovich
Podgorica,Montenegro.
[email]flanker@cg.yu[/email]