Air fest days
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- Date: 30.08.2014
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SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč attended the opening ceremony of the Slovak International Air Fest (SIAF) 2014 at Sliač AFB. Being in its 4th year, Slovakia’s largest airshow was symbolically opened by a flypast formation of two MiG-29 fighters, three L-39 aircraft and one Tu-154 SVK Government Flying Service aircraft. Even this time spectators did not miss out on an airdrop of parachuters with the flags of the participating countries. The opening ceremony was attended by the SVK President and Commander-in-Chief, Andrej Kiska.
“The aviation days provide an excellent opportunity to promote the work of our Air Force in the public. Visitors to the airshow can view the aircraft with which our soldiers work and compare them with those operated by foreign countries. They can see for themselves that the situation is far from ideal and that modernization, which we plan to implement under the adopted SVK Air Force Development Concept, is absolutely inevitable. It is important to realize that military aviation has an irreplaceable role not only in protecting our airspace but also as part of domestic crisis management,” said Minister of Defence Glváč. He announced that Slovakia was finalizing the contract of purchase for two Spartan aircraft, which won the competitive bidding for the contract as early as 2008. “Our ambition is to complete this process by 30 September,” he confirmed, adding that the entire process was still to be approved by the Security Council of the Slovak Republic and the SVK Government. He went on to emphasize that the procurement process for the aircraft was in accordance with the adopted SVK Air Force Development Concept. Also Lt Gen Milan Maxim, Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces, appreciated the SVK Air Force´s participation at SIAF 2014. “This is an opportunity for the SVK Air Force to demonstrate what they can do with relatively outdated aircraft,” he said. At the same time, he highly appreciated the planned acquisition of the Spartan tactical transport aircraft.
The Slovak International Air Fest SIAF 2014 was held for two days (30 and 31 August) and the SVK Air Force was also represented by Mi-17 helicopters and L-410 aircraft. As part of side events, visitors to the airshow could view the SVK Armed Forces' static and dynamic demonstrations and meet with army sportsmen and women. A number of countries were represented at SIAF, including the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Sweden, Austria and the United Kingdom.
“The aviation days provide an excellent opportunity to promote the work of our Air Force in the public. Visitors to the airshow can view the aircraft with which our soldiers work and compare them with those operated by foreign countries. They can see for themselves that the situation is far from ideal and that modernization, which we plan to implement under the adopted SVK Air Force Development Concept, is absolutely inevitable. It is important to realize that military aviation has an irreplaceable role not only in protecting our airspace but also as part of domestic crisis management,” said Minister of Defence Glváč. He announced that Slovakia was finalizing the contract of purchase for two Spartan aircraft, which won the competitive bidding for the contract as early as 2008. “Our ambition is to complete this process by 30 September,” he confirmed, adding that the entire process was still to be approved by the Security Council of the Slovak Republic and the SVK Government. He went on to emphasize that the procurement process for the aircraft was in accordance with the adopted SVK Air Force Development Concept. Also Lt Gen Milan Maxim, Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces, appreciated the SVK Air Force´s participation at SIAF 2014. “This is an opportunity for the SVK Air Force to demonstrate what they can do with relatively outdated aircraft,” he said. At the same time, he highly appreciated the planned acquisition of the Spartan tactical transport aircraft.
The Slovak International Air Fest SIAF 2014 was held for two days (30 and 31 August) and the SVK Air Force was also represented by Mi-17 helicopters and L-410 aircraft. As part of side events, visitors to the airshow could view the SVK Armed Forces' static and dynamic demonstrations and meet with army sportsmen and women. A number of countries were represented at SIAF, including the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Sweden, Austria and the United Kingdom.
