13.07.2017.
Joint Air Live Firing Exercise “Shabla 2017”
From 11th to 25th July, on “Shabla” training area in the Republic of Bulgaria, the members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces are conducting joint live firing against the targets in the air space from Air Defence rocket systems.
The goal of the firing, which involves the participation of more than 70 members of our Armed Forces, predominantly from the 250th AD Rocket Brigade of AF and AD, is to raise the level of capabilities of AF and AD units for the protection of the air space. The rocketeers of the Serbian Armed Forces will carry out the firing from “NEVA” and “KUB” missile systems.
According to the words of Acting Commander of the 250th AD Rocket Brigade, Colonel Milan Popović, prior to the arrival at “Shabla” training area, there were planning conferences organised, as well as individual and collective preparations, while the transport of the personnel and assets was carried out by land and air.
-We are currently in the phase of preparing the missile systems, primarily the missiles, for the firing against the targets in the air space. The crown of the training for each rocketeer is firing on the targets in air space, and at this moment, in the Republic of Serbia, there is no training field that could meet security requirements for the execution of this task. This is one of the basic reasons why we have opted to use this training area, which is relatively close to our country – Colonel Popović stressed.
Speaking about the cooperation with the Air Force of the Republic of Bulgaria, Colonel Popović reminded that it had commenced in furtherance of our initiative back in 2010,
when the first firing had taken place at “Shabla” and this year’s firing is the fourth joint gathering of Serbian and Bulgarian rocketeers.
- Through the process of planning and the string of joint firing we have established a good military to military but also personal cooperation, which is crowned by the fact that the preparations are going in the best manner possible – Colonel Popović concluded.
On the Bulgarian Armed Forces training area “Shabla” on the Black Sea shores in the vicinity of Varna, the members of AF and AD of Serbian Armed Forces successfully executed firing in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
