Several Serbia Air Force airmen visited Aviano AB, Italy, recently to experience USAF F-16 operations up close and personal. They were returning the visit by several Aviano Triple Nickel airmen to Serbia earlier this year. Air Force journalist TSgt. Jerome Baysmore reports that the Serbian Air Force is in the midst of rebuilding, following losing 70 percent of its infrastructure and some 150 aircraft to Operation Allied Force aircrews in 1999. That was then, and this is now.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
