83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment The 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment ( " Serbo - Croatian : 83 . lovački avijacijski puk / 83 . ловачки авијацијски пук " ) was an aviation regiment established in 1944 as 1st Yugoslav Fighter Regiment ( " Serbo - Croatian : 1 . јugoslovenski vazduhoplovni lovački puk / 1 . југословенски ваздухопловни ловачки пук " , Russian : 1 - й Югославский истребительный авиационный полк ) formed from Yugoslav partisan aviators on training in Soviet Union . History . 1st Yugoslav Fighter Regiment . The 1st Yugoslav Fighter Regiment was formed in 14 October 1944 in Krasnodar , USSR , from Yugoslav partisan aviators sent on training by October 1944 . It consisted from three squadrons equipped with new Yak - 3 fighter aircraft . It had 180 personnel , which from five were staff officers , 37 pilots , 37 mechanics , and others . By the end of training and arming with Yak ' s regiment became operational by May 1 , 1945 . It has moved from USSR taking off by September 7 , 1945 and land in Yugoslavia by 14 September at Zemun airport . Two days later it was renamed in to 254th Fighter Aviation Regiment . The commander of regiment was Petar Radević and commissar was Viktor Bubanj . 254th Fighter Aviation Regiment . The 254th Fighter Aviation Regiment was formed in 16 September 1945 by renaming of 1st Yugoslav Fighter Regiment at Zemun airport . It was part of 3rd Air Fighter Division . Because of the crisis at Northwest of county , it has dislocated to Novi Sad by Spring of 1946 , and to Ljubljana by Summer - Autumn same year . On 9 August 1946 a pair of Yak - 3 aircraft piloted by the Lieutenant Dragan Zečević and Warrant Officer Dragan Stanisavljević have open fire and hit USAF C - 47 which has violated Yugoslav airspace flow over Ljubljana airport at 12 p . m . which has forced landing 12 km near Kranj . One passenger , Turkish captain was wounded by hit , while crew and passengers were captured by Yugoslav Army . Later it was released by August 22 , and the tension made with this incident and another one shooting down of USAF C - 47 with fatal consequences for whole crew of five airman was reduce after Marshal Tito ordered to pay 150 . 000 $ to families of killed US airman . By winter it moved to Mostar and than again in 1947 across Novi Sad to Ljubljana and Cerklje where it stayed during late 1947 and 1948 . By 1948 this regiment was renamed like all other units of Yugoslav Army , so it has become 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment . The commanders of regiment in this period were Petar Radević , Đorđe Kešeljević , Radovan Daković and Radovan Krstić . 83rd Fighter and Fighter - Bomber Aviation Regiment . The 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment remain at Cerklje by the 1948 , but same year it was relocated to Pula , where it remain until 1953 when it supposed to relocate to Zemunik , but it was again sent to Cerklje due the Trieste crisis . It was at Cerklje airport during from October 1953 to February 1954 when it was dislocated to Zemunik , where it remained until 1963 . In that year regiment was relocated to Golubovci airbase . In late 1948 and early 1949 regiment was equipped with 40 former Bulgarian Air Force German made Messerschmitt Bf 109 G aircraft . In period of exploitation of Gustav ' s number of accidents has been an increase , some fatal disasters taking casualties . By the 1952 Yak - 3 and Bf 109G aircraft were replaced with US - build F - 47D Thunderbolt fighters . In that period regiment was renamed to 83rd Fighter - Bomber Aviation Regiment ( " Serbo - Croatian : 83 . lovačko - bombarderski avijacijski puk / 83 . ловачко - бомбардерски авијацијски пук " ) . In 1954 Thunderbolts were replaced by Republic F - 84 Thunderjet fighter - bombers , which remain in service with regiment until 1959 when it was replaced with F - 86E Sabre jet fighters . Same year has changed its name back to 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment . By the 1961 and application of the " Drvar " reorganization for the Air Force , new type designation system is used to identify squadrons , so the two squadrons of 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment have become 120th and 121st Fighter Aviation Squadron . It was disbanded by 1964 due to the " Drvar 2 " reorganization plan . Its 121st Fighter Aviation Squadron was also disbanded , while its 120th Fighter Aviation Squadron remain as independent in 1st Air Corps until it was reorganized and renamed in to 242nd Fighter - Bomber Aviation Squadron . The commanders of regiment in this period were Miloš Milikić , Ante Sardelić , Radovan Krstić and Nikola Vučević . Re - establishment of 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment . By the order from January 20 , 1968 , the 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment was re - established on October 5 of same year at Skopski Petrovac airport . It was formed from 123rd Fighter Aviation Squadron armed with North American F - 86D Sabre jet fighters . It was renamed in to 83rd Aviation Brigade ( " Serbo - Croatian : 83 . avijacijska brigada / 83 . авијацијска бригада " ) and dislocated to new build Slatian airbase near Priština . It was the second largest military airport with underground hangar complex in Yugoslavia , after Želajva airbase . For the existence of the regiment , it remain its base for longest period . The first Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 21 Fishbed in F - 13 variant were introduced by 1970 , and Sabers were withdrawn from Brigade by 1974 . Newer variant MiG - 21PMF has replaced F - 13 ' s by 1977 , and the MiG - 21 bis variants were introduced in 1983 . The Brigade has again become Fighter Aviation Regiment by 1978 . When wars in Yugoslavia started , in period of 1991 - 1992 , parts of 117th Fighter Aviation Regiment and 129th Fighter Aviation Squadron were merged to 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment , which has later again become Aviation Brigade . In that period MiG - 21UM training variants were introduced from merged units . After Yugoslav People ' s Army was officially dissolved in May 1992 , the unit joined the newly formed Military of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as part of Aviation Corps . Two years later , with new reorganization of " new " Air Force of FR Yugoslavia , Brigade become again 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment which was part of Air Defense Corps . In that period the unit has got its official badge . During the 1999 , when NATO air forces started bombing campaign against FR Yugoslavia , and Army , with its Air Force and Air Defense units were primary targets . The Slatian airbase , located near Priština , in Kosovo , was constantly under attack . Several MiG - 21 aircraft of 83rd Regiment were destroyed on ground by air strikes , but non was used in air combat , due the MiG - 21 ' s were excluded form combat operations considered as weak to confront modern NATO fighters . Several MiG - 29 Fulcrum aircraft form 204th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Batajnica airbase were dislocated to Slatina due the war preparation . After the end of NATO attacks and signing of the Treaty at Kumanovo , the all Yugoslav Forces had to retreat out from Kosovo province . On June 12 , 1999 all aircraft , personal and equipment have left hardly damaged Slatina airbase and handed it over to Russian Airborne Troops as part of KFOR . The 83rd Fighter Regiment has relocated to Batajnica airbase and there it was disbanded by the August 1999 . Personal and equipment have entered the 126th Fighter Aviation Squadron of 204th Fighter Aviation Regiment which continued the tradition of 83rd Regiment and its predecessor - 254th Fighter Aviation Regiment . The commanders of regiment in this period were Nikola Maravić , Angel Ončevski , Branko Gajović , Tomislav Ivanović , Jovo Špegar , Mirko Vučinić , Slobodan Jeremić , Stjepan Hranjec , Zoran Milićević and Gvozden Urošević .