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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 13

First Macedonian Hips

overhauled in Serbia

TWO MACEDONIAN

Mi-171E helicopters have

completed overhaul and

begun test flights at the

Moma Stanojlovic plant

in Batajnica, Serbia. The

aircraft – MAP-7711 (c/n

171E00067842807U)

and MAP-7710 (c/n

171E00067842806U)

• returned to the air
  on October 22 and
  23 respectively.
  In November last year
  Macedonian pilots flew
  the pair to the Moma
  Stanojlovic plant, which
  is directly subordinated to
  the Ratno vazduhoplovstvo
  i protivvazduhoplovna
  odbrana (RV i PVO, Serbian

Air Force and Air Defence).

Here the engines were

removed and sent to Russia

for overhaul, while the

airframes were attended

to in Serbia. Russian pilots

later arrived in Batajnica

to carry out test flights.

Overhaul of the Mi-171Es

is the first activity carried

out under a Russian-

Serbian joint venture signed

in January 2016 that set

up a regional overhaul

centre at Batajnica.

A third Hip, unarmed

Mi-17V-5 MAP-7714, will

also be overhauled.

All three are currently

operated by the

Macedonian Ministry of

Interior’s Police Helicopter

Unit ‘Jastrebi’ (Hawks) but

will reportedly be transferred

to the nation’s air arm.

During the overhaul, the

Mi-171Es were repainted in

a blue/white scheme with

‘Police’ titles but retain

their weapons hardpoints.

They were originally

manufactured for Iraq and

modernised by Elbit Systems

under Macedonia’s ‘Balkan’

upgrade programme. This

added modern avionics

including night vision

systems and 80mm S-

rockets with the Smart

Tactical Advanced Rocket

(STAR) laser guidance

kit. Aleksandar Radić

THE AERONAUTICA

Militare (AM, Italian

Air Force) officially

re-established the 23°

Gruppo on September

5 after more than eight

years of inactivity.

Formerly a fighter unit,

the squadron has now

assumed the combat

search and rescue (CSAR)

mission with HH -101A

CAESAR helicopters.

On October 30 the 23°

Gruppo flag officially

returned to Cervia air

base in northeast Italy’s

Ravenna province and the

first aircraft – HH -101A

serial MM1867 – was

temporarily assigned to

the unit with the code ‘15-

0 4’. Initially, the squadron

will share its helicopters

with the resident training

unit at Cervia until more

become available.

Once fully operational the

23° Gruppo will probably

move to Istrana air base

near Treviso, in northeast

Italy, which is also due to

receive 22° Gruppo with

the F-2000 Typhoon.

The AM ordered 12

HH -101As (known to

manufacturer Leonardo

as the AW101- 611),

plus three options.

The air force’s first

CAESARs were operated

by the 81° Centro

Addestramento SAR

(81st Search and Rescue

Training Centre) at Cervia.

Left: HH-101A serial MM

‘15-04’ in a hangar at Cervia

air base. Pierpaolo Maglio

Italian Air Force re-forms 23° Gruppo

Dr Andreas Zeitler

Above: Mi-171E serial MAP-7711 on a test fl ight over

Belgrade. Igor Salinger

Heavy JDAM load

for Manching

Tornado

TORNADO IDS

98+60 (GS062) of

the Wehrtechnische

Dienststelle 61 (WTD 61) –

the German military flight

test centre – at Manching

air base with a new,

increased weapons load.

Seen on October 10, it

was carrying a load of four

Laser Joint Direct Attack

Munitions (LJDAMs) and

a Litening targeting pod.

This is the first evidence

of flight trials for the

Luftwaffe Tornado’s

latest ASSTA 4 /4.

configuration. As well as

LJDAM integration, this

standard is introducing a

Future Dispenser System

(replacing the old BOZ

pod) and enhanced

Multifunctional Information

Distribution System

(MIDS) capability.