February 25 (SeeNews) - The overhaul of four MiG-29 fighter jets donated by Belarus to Serbia, has been launched in a factory in Baranovichi, in Belarus, the Serbian defence ministry said on Monday.
The four jets will be delivered to Serbia after the completion of the works, the defence ministry said in a statement.
"We expect the completion of the revamp phase and then the second phase of modernisation to be completed as soon as possible. We will have 14 MiG-29 jets at the 4+ generation level, which means they are one of the most modern aircraft in the world," defence minister Aleksandar Vulin said during an official ceremony on the transfer of the ownership of the jets in Belarus.
The four jets are in the first third of their service life, as the state of the aggregates, circuits and systems indicates that the aircraft have been maintained in accordance with the prescribed technical standards, the defence ministry noted.
Serbia's former defence minister Zoran Djordjevic said in January 2017 that Belarus had agreed to donate eight MiG-29 fighter jets of the 9-13 version to Serbia. Belgrade will only have to pay for the modernisation of the aircraft, Djurdjevic said back then.
In December 2016, the Serbian government said Russia had agreed to donate six MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia's Air Force. In August 2018, the country completed the revamp of two of the jets.