Major Ljubiša Veličković — last to take off, last to fall

Major Ljubiša Veličković was a pilot of the fighter-bomber aviation of the Yugoslav Army, based at Ladjevci airbase near Kraljevo. On 1 June 1999, the 70th day of the NATO aggression — just nine days before its end — he took off on his final mission and never returned.

Pilot of an old fighter

Unlike the MiG-29 pilots who were first to go into combat, Major Veličković flew an older type of aircraft — the MiG-21, which had been designed back in the 1960s. This aircraft, though reliable and manoeuvrable, was entirely inferior to NATO's third- and fourth-generation fighters.

The MiG-21 had no modern radar, could not use missiles for beyond-visual-range combat, and its electronic equipment was two levels below that of the enemy. And yet Major Veličković flew it on combat missions, accepting a risk that exceeded all reasonable limits.

1 June 1999 — the last combat flight

At the beginning of June 1999, negotiations for a ceasefire were in their final phase, but the bombing did not stop. NATO aircraft continued their strikes at full strength, and the Serbian army defended itself with all available means.

Major Veličković was given the task of carrying out a combat flight over the area around Kraljevo. The details of the mission remained protected by military secrecy, but it is known that he took off from Ladjevci airbase and that his aircraft was shot down soon after takeoff.

NATO fighters patrolling over central Serbia detected the takeoff of the MiG-21 and intercepted it before it could carry out any combat task. Major Veličković was killed at the age of 38.

The last casualty of the Serbian air force

Major Ljubiša Veličković was the last pilot of the Yugoslav Army to be killed in the NATO aggression. Nine days after his death, on 10 June 1999, the Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement was signed and the bombing ceased.

The tragic irony of his death lies in the fact that he was killed when the end of the war was in sight. Had he lived just nine more days, he would have returned home. But war knows no irony — war knows only duty, and Major Veličković fulfilled his duty to the very end.

Ladjevci airbase — a base of heroes

Ladjevci airbase near Kraljevo was one of the most important bases of the Serbian air force. During the NATO aggression, this base was the target of multiple attacks, but it continued to function thanks to improvised runway repairs and the concealment of aircraft in tunnels and natural shelters.

The pilots from Ladjevci, including Major Veličković, flew under extremely difficult conditions — from damaged runways, without adequate radar-navigation support, often at night and in poor weather. Every takeoff was a feat in itself.

In memoriam

Major Veličković was posthumously decorated and promoted. His name is engraved on the monument to fallen pilots at Ladjevci airbase. For the young pilots of the Serbian Air Force, he is a symbol of soldierly self-sacrifice — a man who took off into combat even on the last day of the war.

Between the first and the last fallen pilot — between Captain Radosavljević and Major Veličković — 67 days elapsed. Sixty-seven days of an unequal fight in which Serbian pilots took off knowing they might not land. Lest it be forgotten.