Vucic: Serbia will become a regional helicopter superpower
Last weekend, during a visit to the Nišava district, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited the 63rd parachute brigade stationed in the city of Niš. The head of state was shown the capabilities of helicopter units of the Air Force and Air Defense.
According to a PolitNavigator correspondent, after demonstrating the capabilities of the helicopter units of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, Vucic congratulated the military personnel on the successful exercise conducted in difficult weather conditions.
“We plan to carry out large purchases of helicopters this year and next,” said the Serbian President. – 11 H-145 helicopters (Airbus Helicopters, France – Germany – ed.), 4 Mi-35, 5 Mi-17 (in Russia - ed.) and 11 used Mi-35s, which we buy from one EU member country. Therefore, we will definitely be a helicopter superpower in the region,” said the Serbian President.
Answering a question from journalists about what specific steps the state is taking to attract people to the army, Vucic noted that “five years ago the outflow from the army was greater than today due to increased salaries. Everyone noticed it." He recalled that salaries in the army over the previous eight years had risen by 70%, that is, by about 7,5% per year.
A five-year plan and program for equipping and arming the army in the period from 2022 to 2027 was also presented. Vučić said that huge investments were announced in this plan, and he discussed them with Defense Minister Nebojša Stefanović, that annually it will be necessary to invest 500 million euros more in the armed forces than is currently being invested, although the needs of the army will objectively be 700 million euros higher.
“But it occurred to me how to solve this problem. I know where and how to find money. We will continue to invest and strengthen the Serbian army, which will be a sufficient deterrent for any potential aggressor into Serbian territory,” Vucic concluded.
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