MOSCOW. Nov 11 (Interfax) - The joint exercise of the air defense units of the Russian and Serbian Armed Forces, the Slavic Shield, is expected to be conducted every year, Russian Aerospace Forces deputy commander Lieut. Gen. Yury Grekhov said.
"We are now considering making this exercise annual, taking turns at hosting it. One year [it will be conducted] in Russia, the next time in Serbia, etc.," Grekhov said in an interview published in the Russian Armed Forces' official newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda on Monday.
The number of troops and forces engaged in the international exercise is expected to grow each time, he said.
"Next year, we want to use in practical firing not only automatic anti-aircraft guns but also guided anti-aircraft missiles on real targets, which we will launch, and our Serbian crews will hit them," Grekhov said.
Asked about the specifics of the preparation stage of the Slavic Shield 2019 exercise, which ended in late October, Grekhov said "the specifics consisted in selecting the place and determining the troops and forces for successful achievement of the goal."
"We trained Serbian officers, the senior ones of whom already have combat experience. It must be said that the Serbian servicemen are motivated, serious people, who are intent on studying the rules for operating and using the new equipment. And the main thing is that they are intent on defending their state. This distinguishes the Serbian troops. We have something to share with each other," he said.
The Russian-Serbian air defense exercise Slavic Shield 2019 was conducted in two stages. The first stage was conducted in the Astrakhan region at the combat training and combat use base of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the Astrakhan region in September. The second stage was conducted in Serbia on October 24-29.
The second stage of the joint exercise involved the units of the S-400 air defense system and the Pantsir-S system of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which were transferred by Russian Armed Forces aircraft to the Serbian Batajnica Air Base for the first time.
A mixed Russian-Serbian of air defense forces was formed at the Batajnica airfield drilled air defense of the airfield itself, Belgrade, and the central industrial district of Serbia.
While on combat training duty, the units of the joint air defense group successfully repelled a massive mock enemy air strike, destroying all air targets by electronic air defense system launches.
The crews of the combat vehicles of the Pantsir-S system carried out a 170 km march to a new position area and conducted combat firing on ground and air targets on the military firing range Pasulyanske-Levade.