Airforces Tornado tribute

Order of battle – Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo

(HRZ, Croatian Air Force)

Command/unit Equipment Base

Zapovjedništvo HRZ (HRZ Command) Zagreb-Pleso

91. zrakoplovna baza (91.ZB, 91st Air Base) Zagreb-Pleso
    Eskadrila borbenih aviona
    (EBA, Fighter Squadron)

MiG-21bisD,

MiG-21UMD

Zagreb-Pleso

Eskadrila višenamjenskih helikoptera

(EVH, Utility Helicopter Squadron)

Mi-171Sh Zagreb-Lučko

Zrakoplovno-tehnička bojna (Maintenance

Battalion)

Zagreb-Pleso

93. zrakoplovna baza Air Base (93.ZB) Zadar-Zemunik
    Eskadrila aviona (EA, Fixed-Wing Squadron) Z 242L, PC-9M Zadar-Zemunik
    Eskadrila helikoptera (EH, Helicopter Squadron) OH-58D,
    Bell 206B-3

Zadar-Zemunik

Protupožarna eskadrila (PPE, Firefighting

Squadron)

CL-415,

AT-802A/F

Zadar-Zemunik

Eskadrila transportnih helikoptera

(ETH, Transport Helicopter Squadron)

Mi-8T/MTV,

Mi-17

Split-Divulje

Zrakoplovno-tehnička bojna

(Maintenance Battalion)

Zadar-Zemunik

Središte za obuku HRZ

(SzO, Air Force Training Centre )

Zadar-Zemunik

Bojna Zračnog motrenja i navođenja

(ZMIN, Air Surveillance and Control Battalion)

AN/FPS-117 Zagreb-Pleso

In an apparent effort to highlight

the failings of its predecessor, in

March 2016 an incoming Croatian

government grounded four of the

five newly acquired single-seaters.

There are indications that three

of the supposedly ex-Algerian

MiG-21bis have fuselages taken

from older aircraft, obtained from

a Bulgarian storage facility.

Since the grounding, at least two

jets (serials 131 and 135) have been

in occasional service, joining serials

116, 117 and 118 which were

originally obtained during the war.

The provenance of serial 133,

also purchased from Ukraine, is

not disputed, while serial 134 has

a fuselage newer than the reported

construction number – it, too,

was grounded amid the dispute.

Waiting for completion of the MiG-

21 overhaul in Ukraine, Croatia’s

dozen or so fighter pilots’ flying

hours reduced dramatically. There

was also a shortage of aircrew,

and in 2016 two new members

joined the ‘Knights’: they attained

the second level proficiency rating

in the fighter pilot category and

were included in QRA duties.

Another two pilots made their

first flight in the MiG-21bisD at the

end of May last year, and a fifth

began MiG-21 training this year.

Following the last overhaul,

two ‘Alpha’ (live) scrambles and

interceptions of civilian airliners

were conducted in 2015 and

three the following year. In 2016

there were also 71 practice

T-scrambles, and last year the EBA

flew two A- and 44 T-scrambles.

The arrival of the F-16 in 2020-

22 will mark the end of more than

half a century of MiG-21 operations

in the skies over Croatia.

Combat helicopters

During the war of the early 1990s,

Croatia obtained two Mi-24D

Hind-D and nine Mi-24V Hind-E

attack helicopters, one of which

was lost in 1995. Their service

life expired in 2000, the former 29.

eskadrila borbenih helikoptera (29th

Combat Helicopter Squadron) at

Zagreb-Pleso disbanding in 2007.

With the HRZ left without any

real combat helicopter, Croatia

obtained 16 OH-58D Kiowa

Warrior scout/attack helicopters

in 2016 under a project supported

by the US government.

The first five, plus three training

devices, weapons and other

equipment, arrived at Zemunik from

Alabama on July 30, 2016 aboard

a US Air Force C-5 – the remaining

11 aircraft and equipment being

sent in a subsequent air delivery

via the same route. The project

to introduce the OH-58Ds into

operational service involves

Below: Live-fire training for Croatian
OH-58D pilots started at the Slunj
military range on August 1 last year.
MORH

EBA

EA

EVH PPE

EH

ETH

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #363 JUNE 2018 // 107

Airforces

Intelligence

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