SOKO G-4 Super Galeb

Also known as

N-62
Super Galeb
G-4 PPP

The SOKO G-4 Super Galeb is a Yugoslav single-engine advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft built by SOKO in Mostar after development by the Aviation Technical Institute. Designed to move pilots from jet training into light strike tasks, it entered serial production in the early 1980s, remained in Serbian service after Yugoslavia's breakup, and is directly documented in Croatian, Bosnian, and Kosovo War combat or loss records.

SOKO G-4 Super Galeb, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Image source: G-4 SOKO Super Galeb 1991.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Side: Yugoslav and Serb forces

The Belgrade Aeronautical Museum describes a JNA G-4 damaged by a man-portable air-defense missile during a combat flight near Licki Ribnik on 24 September 1991, after which the aircraft returned to Udbine.

Side: Bosnian Serb and Yugoslav forces

Contemporary reporting during Operation Deny Flight identified Bosnian Serb aircraft bombing near Novi Travnik as Soko G-4 Super Galeb attack aircraft before NATO F-16s shot down Serb aircraft; later summaries disagree on the exact aircraft mix, so the row avoids a firm G-4 loss count.

Side: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Open Operation Allied Force summaries report Yugoslav G-4 Super Galeb strike aircraft flying low-level combat missions against KLA positions in Kosovo, and Aviation Safety Network records Super Galebs destroyed at Golubovci Air Base during the campaign.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Yugoslavia
Built by: SOKO
Type: Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft
Service note: 1983-present in Serbian service; combat use during the Yugoslav wars
Designer: Aeronautical Technical Institute
Designed: 1970s
Produced: 1984-1991
Number built: 85

Specifications

Crew: 2
Role: Advanced combat trainer and light attack aircraft
Length: 11.86 m baseline; 12.25 m overall length including pitot on G-4M brochure
Wingspan: 9.88 m baseline
Height: 4.28 m baseline; 4.26 m on G-4M brochure
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Viper Mk. 632 turbojet, about 17.8 kN thrust
Maximum speed: 880 km/h in Serbian MoD service summary; G-4M brochure lists 900 km/h at 4 km
Range: 1,800 km with internal fuel and 2,900 km with external fuel for G-4M; Serbian MoD tactical radius up to 300 km
Service ceiling: 12,000 m in Serbian MoD service summary; 12,500 m in G-4M brochure
Endurance: 120 minutes with two fuel tanks in Serbian MoD service summary
Armament: 23 mm gun, unguided missiles, and aerial bombs; G-4M literature adds air-to-air and air-to-surface missile integration

Design And Modernization

The G-4 was designed as a school-combat jet rather than a pure trainer, giving Yugoslav and successor-state air arms a type that could move pilots into advanced training while retaining a light-attack role.

Training role

Serbian-service coverage describes G-4 flights at Batajnica as part of cadet training and current front-line trainer use.

Attack fit

Serbian MoD material lists a 23 mm gun, unguided missiles, and aerial bombs, while the G-4M brochure adds broader air-to-air and air-to-surface missile integration.

G-4M upgrade

Yugoimport presents the G-4M as an updated trainer/ground-attack version with increased payload capability, updated avionics, and an integrated navigation/attack system.

Rough-field design

The G-4M brochure describes a rugged airframe and landing-gear package intended for semi-prepared and grass runway operation.

Variants

The G-4 family includes baseline trainer/light-attack aircraft, unarmed and target-tug adaptations, and modernization standards that added digital avionics or broader weapons compatibility.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
G-4S	Unarmed trainer	Often written as G-4S or G-4Š in open references; listed here as the unarmed training adaptation. Sources: Soko G-4 Super Galeb - Wikipedia
G-4T	Target tug	Target-tug adaptation documented in open variant summaries and represented by the G-4T gallery image. Sources: Soko G-4 Super Galeb - Wikipedia, G-4T Super Galeb 23601 V i PVO VS, august 04, 2008.JPG
G-4M	Modernized trainer/ground-attack version	Yugoimport describes the G-4M as an updated trainer/ground-attack version with updated avionics, increased payload capability, an integrated navigation/attack system, and air-to-air and air-to-surface missile integration. Sources: SUPER GALEB G-4M - Yugoimport
G-4MD	Digital modernization program	Open Serbian-service coverage describes the G-4MD path as adding LCD displays, mission-computer and navigation upgrades, identification and communications equipment, and guided-weapons integration. Sources: Jet trainer and light attack aircraft – a close look at G-4 Super Galeb

Carried Weapons

The Super Galeb's attack fit centers on a removable 23 mm gun pod and underwing stores for light strike missions.

Carried item	Item type	Carriage evidence
GSh-23L cannon	Aircraft cannon	Airforce Technology identifies the G-4's detachable two-barrel cannon as a 23 mm GSh-23L, while Serbian MoD service material describes the aircraft as armed with a 23 mm gun for training and close-support tasks. Sources: Soko G-4 Super Galeb Military Trainer and Ground Attack Aircraft, Fighter-Bomber Aviation Sub-Echelon

Carried item

Item type

Carriage evidence

GSh-23L cannon

Aircraft cannon

Airforce Technology identifies the G-4's detachable two-barrel cannon as a 23 mm GSh-23L, while Serbian MoD service material describes the aircraft as armed with a 23 mm gun for training and close-support tasks.

Sources: Soko G-4 Super Galeb Military Trainer and Ground Attack Aircraft, Fighter-Bomber Aviation Sub-Echelon

Timeline

SOKO G-4 Super Galeb Key Events

Jul 18, 1978
First flight
The Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade records the first G-4 prototype flight on 18 July 1978.
Sources: Soko G-4 "Super Galeb" - Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade
Jan 1, 1983
Introduced to service
The Aeronautical Museum records serial production beginning in 1983, while open aviation coverage places the G-4 in Yugoslav Air Force service from that year.
Sources: Soko G-4 "Super Galeb" - Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade, Jet trainer and light attack aircraft – a close look at G-4 Super Galeb
Sep 24, 1991
Combat damage near Licki Ribnik
A JNA G-4 was hit by a man-portable air-defense missile during a combat flight near Licki Ribnik and returned to Udbine for repair.
Sources: Soko G-4 "Super Galeb" - Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade
Jan 1, 1992
1992 Bosnian War combat use
Contemporary press accounts during Operation Deny Flight identified Bosnian Serb Soko G-4 Super Galeb attack aircraft in bombing activity near Novi Travnik, though later summaries differ on the exact aircraft types shot down.
Sources: U.S. Jets Gun Down 4 Serb Planes, U.S. Jets Down 4 Bosnian Serb Planes to Enforce 'No-Fly' Zone
Feb 28, 1994
Operation Deny Flight interception
NATO F-16s intercepted Serb aircraft after a bombing attack near Novi Travnik; contemporary reports identified the aircraft as G-4/Super Galeb types, while later aircraft-specific summaries often name J-21 and J-22 aircraft.
Sources: U.S. Jets Gun Down 4 Serb Planes, U.S. Jets Down 4 Bosnian Serb Planes to Enforce 'No-Fly' Zone
Mar 24, 1999
Kosovo War combat and losses
Operation Allied Force summaries report Yugoslav G-4 low-level strike missions against KLA positions, while Aviation Safety Network records Super Galeb losses at Golubovci Air Base during the campaign.
Sources: Operation Allied Force, Incident SOKO G-4 Super Galeb, 28 April 1999
Oct 23, 2010
Montenegrin G-4 aircraft transferred to Serbia
Serbia received additional G-4 aircraft from Montenegro under an April 2010 resource-exchange agreement and planned to repair them for fighter-pilot training.
Sources: Two more G4 galeb air crafts from Montenegro land in Batajnica
May 17, 2022
Serbian training use
The aircraft remained in front-line training use with the Serbian Air Force, which flew cadet training sorties at Batajnica.
Sources: Jet trainer and light attack aircraft – a close look at G-4 Super Galeb