Major Zoran Radosavljević — the first pilot lost

Major Zoran Radosavljević was a fighter pilot of the 127th Fighter Aviation Squadron of the Yugoslav Army. On 26 March 1999, the second day of the NATO aggression against Serbia, he took off with the task of intercepting enemy aircraft over Kosovo. It was the young pilot's last flight.

A young pilot with a great future

Zoran Radosavljević was born in 1968. He was among the most talented pilots of his generation. He completed his fighter pilot training with excellent grades and was assigned to the 127th Squadron at Batajnica airbase. At just over 30 years old, he was in his prime as a pilot — experienced enough to master the aircraft, and young enough to withstand the physical demands of combat flying.

26 March 1999 — the second day of the war

On the first day of the bombing, 24 March, the Serbian MiGs did not take off, because the command assessed that losses would be too great under conditions of complete NATO dominance of the airspace. However, already on the second day the decision was made to attempt interception nonetheless, if only symbolically.

Major Radosavljević was given the task of taking off to intercept a group of NATO combat aircraft approaching from the direction of Albania. He took off knowing that he would be detected the moment he left the runway, that NATO AWACS aircraft would track his every manoeuvre, and that enemy fighters would be vectored onto him from a safe distance.

An unequal fight in the air

Major Radosavljević's MiG-29 was detected almost immediately after takeoff. NATO electronic warfare systems began jamming his radar. Without a functioning radar, the pilot flew almost blind, relying on commands from the ground that were themselves under heavy electronic jamming.

Two American F-15Cs from the 493rd Fighter Squadron (48th Fighter Wing, Lakenheath base, England) were tasked with intercepting the Serbian aircraft. The American pilots had a complete radar picture thanks to AWACS support, while Major Radosavljević could rely only on his own jammed radar.

The F-15 launched an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile from a distance of over 30 kilometres — far beyond the range of any weapon the MiG-29 possessed. Major Radosavljević probably never even saw the adversary who killed him. The missile struck the MiG-29, which crashed on the territory of Kosovo.

The first casualty of the Serbian air force

Major Zoran Radosavljević became the first pilot of the Yugoslav Army killed in the NATO aggression. His death was a painful confirmation of what many pilots knew — that under the existing conditions of NATO's technological superiority, every combat flight of a MiG-29 was practically a suicide mission.

However, the loss of Major Radosavljević did not discourage his colleagues. On the contrary, his comrades continued to take off into combat over the following days and weeks, accepting the same risk that he had paid for with his life.

The legacy of a young hero

Major Radosavljević was posthumously promoted and decorated. His name was inscribed in the memorial book of fallen pilots of the Serbian Air Force. For his colleagues, he remained a symbol of youth sacrificed in an unequal fight.

In every army in the world, fighter pilots are regarded as the elite. To be a fighter pilot means that you are among the best, the bravest, the most capable. Major Zoran Radosavljević was all of that — and he paid the ultimate price. He was only 31 years old.

Today, when modern wars increasingly resemble video games with unmanned aircraft and missiles launched from hundreds of kilometres away, the story of Major Radosavljević reminds us of a time when men of flesh and blood climbed into aircraft and flew to meet death. Lest it be forgotten.