Serbian military fighter airplane crashes, pilot injured

A Serbian Military Fighter airplane crashed Friday during a test flight, near Cacak, a town some 150 km south-west of Belgrade, Serbian National television reported. Major Ivan Pantic lost control of the Orao J22 (Eagle) aircraft, and catapulted himself over Mrcajevci village, said Serbian Ministry of Defense. He was taken to military hospital in Belgrade, and his condition was stable. This is third Serbian Eagle fighter airplane to go down since 2008. The aircraft was a part of former Yugoslav air force and was introduced to service in 1983. Serbia's military Air force remains based on aging Yugoslav and Soviet technology consisting mainly of MiG-21s, and MiG-29s, and some domestically produced planes such as Orao J22, Super Galeb G4, or newly developed Lasta 95. Serbia is currently looking for a possibility to modernize its fighter fleet with some multi-purpose combat airplanes, but without putting too much burden on its fragile economy.