{"id":173234,"date":"2025-03-27T14:21:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T12:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=173234"},"modified":"2025-03-27T14:21:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T12:21:40","slug":"running-to-the-clouds-the-last-words-of-major-zoran-radosavljevic-the-hero-who-died-in-the-nato-bombing-photo-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/running-to-the-clouds-the-last-words-of-major-zoran-radosavljevic-the-hero-who-died-in-the-nato-bombing-photo-video\/","title":{"rendered":"“RUNNING TO THE CLOUDS”: The last words of Major Zoran Radosavljevi\u0107, the hero who died in the NATO Bombing! (PHOTO, VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Members of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Serbian Army, even today, 26 years later, proudly remember Major Zoran Radosavljevi\u0107\u2014one of those who defended the sky from NATO aircraft in 1999 with a small number of semi-operational aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To recall, out of the 16 MiG-29s of the Air Force and Air Defense of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which had already surpassed their first decade of service, only 11 were still operational after three days of aggression. However, this was true only on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the very first day of NATO aggression, we lost two aircraft: Major Neboj\u0161a Nikoli\u0107\u2019s plane was shot down over Be\u010dej, while a MiG-29 piloted by Major Iljo Arizanov was downed over Kosovo. The aircraft flown by Major Dragan Ili\u0107 was damaged but managed to land. Major Predrag “Grof” Milutinovi\u0107 was likely shot down by friendly fire, and another MiG-29 was severely damaged on the ground at Batajnica Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the third day of the aggression, Captain First Class Zoran Radosavljevi\u0107 and Major Slobodan Peri\u0107 took off to engage the superior enemy. Peri\u0107, an officer who had voluntarily left the General Staff Academy to rejoin his combat unit, flew alongside Radosavljevi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That day, spirits were high among the pilots because news had spread that Arizanov, who was shot down over Kosovo, had managed to reach Slatina Airport near Pri\u0161tina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the signal to take off reached Zoran\u2019s mobile phone, the Serbian Air Force MiGs took off toward Zrenjanin, flying extremely low\u2014only 50 meters above the ground. They knew that if they climbed higher, they would be detected by the American AWACS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We reached Zrenjanin when the guidance officer asked for my position. I knew that if AWACS had not detected me yet due to my low altitude, they certainly would if I responded with my position. So, I remained silent. The guidance officer understood my silence and said, \u2018Blue (enemy) is to the west.\u2019 Right over Zrenjanin, Zoran and I turned our planes and crossed the Danube. When the question about my position was repeated, there was no point in staying silent anymore\u2014I answered that I had passed the traverse of In\u0111ija. The officer responded, \u2018Blue is to the west, high, at 50 kilometers.\u2019 That meant the enemy was 50 kilometers away at a high altitude. I did not know how many enemy aircraft there were, and at that moment, I was unaware of my own plane\u2019s malfunction,” recalled Peri\u0107, a retired MiG-29 pilot, in the RTS show “Svedok.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When you turn on your radar, you become visible to the enemy. Every aircraft has a device called SPO, which tells you if you’re being targeted, if someone is tracking you or locking onto you with their radar, preparing to fire. My radar had half the range of theirs, so I kept it off to avoid detection\u2014this was my only chance to get close to the enemy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peri\u0107 decided to turn on the radar, wanting to change the beam direction, lock onto enemy aircraft, and fire missiles. “That\u2019s when I realized I had no radar. So, I had to rely solely on visual contact. I commanded Zoran to ascend above the clouds at a steep angle. We climbed to 8,000 meters. Zoran said nothing, and I assumed his radar was working and that he would be able to engage the enemy with missiles.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peri\u0107 continued his account: “At one moment, Zoran said, \u2018Right, under 50.\u2019 I thought he had spotted the enemy at a 50-degree angle to our course. I told him, \u2018Great, go ahead, I\u2019ll follow, you fire first.\u2019 He responded, \u2018No, on the SPO.\u2019 The SPO is the device that tells you if you are being targeted\u2014it is your ears in the cockpit, while the radar is your eyes. And we went in blind and deaf.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We managed to disappear from their radar screens, but when no ground control orders you to return, you inevitably cross the border at 900 km\/h within minutes\u2026 Then, the message came: \u2018It looks like someone from their group has turned toward you.\u2019 The whole time, Radosavljevi\u0107 and I were in contact. At that moment, I saw four white missile trails\u2014two, then two more.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As long as a missile leaves a white trail, it is still accelerating on its so-called cruise phase. The moment the white trail disappears, it means the missile is close enough to guide itself toward the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When the trails disappeared, I knew we were in serious trouble. I told Zoran, \u2018Watch out, missiles incoming!\u2019 He replied, \u2018I\u2019m running to the clouds,\u2019 and I abruptly turned my aircraft back toward our country. A few seconds later, I made another hard right turn under heavy g-force\u2014this maneuver confuses the missile, making it miss and detonate further away. According to Russian SFOR members, the first missile did miss me, but the second one tracked and hit me. After Zoran said, \u2018I\u2019m running to the clouds,\u2019 I never heard from him again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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