training for eight pilots and 44
maintainers and the establishment
of a logistics system and user
maintenance facilities.
The helicopters are part of
the Eskadrila helikoptera (EH,
Helicopter Squadron) at Zemunik.
It had previously been primarily
a training unit equipped with
eight Bell 206B-3 JetRanger
IIIs, ten of which were bought
in 1997 and 1998. Two were
decommissioned following
incidents in the same two years.
As well as their main training
role, the Bell 206B-3s are used for
firefighting reconnaissance, coast
guard search and observation
missions and special operations.
The Croatian government
later accepted an offer from
its US counterpart to supply
surplus OH-58Ds through the
Excess Defense Articles (EDA)
programme. The Kiowas were
older-model OH-58A airframes
converted to OH-58D standard
and redelivered to the US Army
between 2012 and 2015 with
zero-hour technical conditions.
Taken from the inventory of
the US Army’s 1-17 CAV, 82nd
Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, they include
standard weapons systems,
mast-mounted sights (MMS),
communication and navigation
equipment and the required live
ammunition and stores: 12.7mm
machine guns, Hydra rockets
and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
A ‘train-the-trainers’ programme
for aircraft maintenance and flying
crews, conducted by former
US military aviation personnel,
concluded at the end of last year
after seven months and 1,000-
plus flying hours. The HRZ is
now capable of fully autonomous
training of OH-58D crews,
and instruction for the unit’s
remaining personnel continues.
The first live-fire training for
Croatian pilots took place at the
Slunj military range on August 1last year. The next day, it was
carried out at night, using night-
vision goggles (NVGs). Initial
operational capability was
achieved last December, and a
first joint exercise with Croatian
Army land forces was organised
in January at the Gašinci range.
According to plans, 22
pilots should be trained by
this summer. Full operational
capability – including Hellfire
missiles – is expected in 2020.Transport element
The real workhorses of the HRZ
are its two transport helicopter
squadrons, based at Zagreb-
Lučko and Split-Divulje. With an
average of more than 100 annual
flying hours per pilot, crews from
both units fulfil the air force’s
second and third core missions:
contribution to international
peacekeeping operations and
support to civil institutions.
Because Croatia lacks a dedicated
civilian helicopter emergency medical
service (HEMS), the two squadrons
are busy in this role, typically
recording more than 2,000 flights
and transporting 800-plus patients
annually. During the summer they
are usually part of a firefighting task
force, using Flory water buckets with
a capacity of between 528 and 660
gallons (2,000 and 2,500 litres).
Croatia’s first medium transport
helicopter was a Mi-8T Hip-C
(local designation HT-40) captured
from the Yugoslav Air Force after
it was hit by small arms fire and
force-landed in September 1991.
As many as 28 unarmed Hip
helicopters were obtained
during the war from different
sources. They flew with both
HRZ squadrons at Lučko and
Divulje and on behalf of special
forces, and two aircraft formed
part of the Croatian Police
Aviation Unit. Several were lost
during the war and two more
crashed in 2004 and 2007.
Today, ten Mi-8MTV-1 Hip-Hs, aFighting Falcon future
Eleven days after Croatia’s final
decision on its future fighter
aircraft, a first HRZ pilot flew in
the back seat of an F-16D Barak
at Ramat David in Israel.
The F-16C Block 30 fighters to be
acquired by Croatia were produced in
the US in 1987 (the F-16Ds in 1987-
88) and delivered to Israel from the
end of 1987 under the Peace Marble
II programme. Israel than adapted
the jets to Barak standard, including
an additional electronic warfare
suite, indigenous missiles and Display
and Sight Helmet System (DASH).
According to Croatian officials,
the jets had flown for around 160
hours annually. They have already
been upgraded under the Barak
2020 programme and are currently
still used by the Israeli Air Force.
Following the signing of an
agreement between Croatia and
Israel, a group of six to eight
Croatian pilots and 45 technicians
(including five engineers) will
undertake extensive training in
Israel, including air-to-air and air-
to-ground missions day and night.
The 12 aircraft will undertake a
service life extension program (SLEP)
approved by Lockheed Martin, giving
the airframes another effective 3,000
flying hours. The jets will be NATO-
compatible, with Link 16 data links.
During the first three years of the
operations, two Israeli instructor
pilots and 12 to 15 Israeli technicians
will help maintain the aircraft at
Zagreb-Pleso, where Israel will
construct eight new hangars. The
base will also include workshops
for second-level maintenance.
Israel will meanwhile provide three
spare engines and full integrated
logistics support in the first three
years and help develop the ZTC
Maintenance Centre near Zagreb.
The $480m package, to be paid for
by the Croatian government over the
next ten years, includes participation
by HRZ pilots and aircraft in realistic
combat exercises in Israel during
the first three years of operations.This MiG-21bisD is
displayed in a long-
range configuration with
two 490-litre drop tanks
under the wings. Antonio
Prlenda
Ten new NVG-equipped Mi-171Sh helicopters were obtained 11 years
ago and are now in the process of overhaul. Jadranko Ećimović108 // JUNE 2018 #363 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Croatian Air Force
Force
Report