Slatina Air Base

Slatina Air Base
IATA: PRN – ICAO: BKPR Slatina Air Base Location of Slatina Air Base
Summary
Airport type		Military/Public
Owner		Serbia
Operator		KFOR
Serves		Pristina
Location		Slatina
Elevation AMSL		545 m / 1,789 ft
Coordinates		42°34′22″N 021°02′09″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
17/35	2,501	8,210	Asphalt

Slatina Air Base Serbian: Aerodrom Slatina), located at Pristina International Airport, contained the second largest military underground hangar complex in former Yugoslavia. The largest one was at Željava Airport near Bihać. After 1999 NATO bombing in Yugoslavia, this object was used by NATO KFOR.

Before the Yugoslav military withdrawal, Slatina was home of the 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment and its 123rd and the 124th squadron. These squadrons were equipped with MiG-21 Bis and MiG-21 UM aircraft.

Historical value of the Slatina air base

During the NATO's operation against Yugoslavia 83rd fighter squadron of Yugoslavian Air Forces was based in Slatina. It did not perform any sorties and suffered no losses from NATO aircraft during the 1999 bombings. Every single aircraft was intact.

The Slatina air base was a strategically important object which NATO had planned to use for airlifting of much of their military units in support of the UNSF Resolution 1244. Control over the airport was to be established on the 12th of June, 1999. However, on that night the air base was seized by a battalion of Russian paratroopers, who have made a forced march of 600 km in just 7.5 hours from the Russian SFOR base in Bosnia to Kosovo. .

See also

• Slatina Air Base map
• MiG-21 Bis in aircraft tunnel shelter