Viktor Klobučar was the first commander of the Austro-Hungarian naval aviation.[6] He established a naval air force and a network of seaplane bases from Istria to the Bay of Kotor. Major Emil Uzelac was a Croatian military commander who was a leading figure in the air forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and later in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Independent State of Croatia.[7] After World War I the Yugoslav Royal Air Force was formed upon the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) in 1918 and existed until Yugoslavia's surrender to Axis powers in 1941 after the Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II.
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia came into existence in July 1941. During the war, much of the force's capacity was sent to the Eastern Front as the Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska zrakoplovna legija, German: Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion). This consisted of one fighter squadron equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters and one bomber squadron equipped with Dornier Do 17 bombers. The fighter squadron served in Soviet Union as part of the German JG 52. Many of the unit's pilots became aces, including; Mato Dukovac, Cvitan Galić, Franjo Džal, and many more.[8] The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia(Croatian: Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske, ZNDH) came into being as early as 19 April 1941, just nine days after the proclamation of the Independent Croat State. Croatia had a large fleet of relatively modern aircraft during the Second World War usually of German origin, but also ex-Royal Yugoslav, Italian, French, British and Czech.[9] The fleet numbered several hundred aircraft, from training biplanes to the latest Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. All ZNDH aircraft captured at the end of World War II were incorporated into the Yugoslav People's Army inventory.
On the Allied side, when the Partisan forces started forming their own air force squadrons (based on donated Allied planes, as well as captured ZNDH aircraft) towards the end of the war, a number of Croats with previous flying experience (NDH defectors, USAAF pilots of Yugoslav descent, pre-war civilian pilots), as well as previously untrained personnel, took part in the effort. Most famous unit was the No. 352 Squadron RAF. Founders of the Partisan Air Force were Croatian pilots Rudi Čajavec and Franjo Kluz. They both received the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia. The only known Fiat G.50 still in existence is currently in the Museum of Aviation in Surčin, Croatian pilot Andrija Arapović defected with his aircraft to allied airfield on island of Vis in 1944.[10]
The Croatian Air Force as it is known now was officially established on December 12, 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence from Yugoslavia. At first, only small agricultural and transport planes, were used to fight a far superior, Serb-led Yugoslav National Army that took almost all aircraft which were, in fact, the property of all ex-Yugoslav states. Some UTVA-75s were fitted with 90-mm rocket-propelled grenades launchers and improvised ordnance like pressurized containers or acetylene tubes filled with explosives, known as "boiler bombs".[11] A number of Antonov An-2 biplanes used for crop-spraying or leased from parachute clubs were also converted by Croatian Forces to drop makeshift bombs and were used in supply missions to the town of Vukovar and other besieged parts of Croatia.[12] The main advantage for the An-2 was that they could take off and land on small or improvised airstrips. They were also used to drop supplies by parachute to isolated garrisons. At least one An-2 was shot down on 2 December 1991 over Vinkovci, eastern Slavonia, by Serbian SAM missiles, with the loss of its crew of four. Among the dead was Commander Marko Živković, the mastermind behind the resupply missions. It is claimed that he developed a GPS navigational system to drop cargoes with an accuracy of 10 metres.[11] Croatia was eventually able to acquire three MiG-21s (brought over by JNA defectors) by late 1992 when the first fighter squadron was formed. Soon, by evading the embargo on weapons, almost 40 MiG-21bis/UM fighters were acquired. Around 25 were put into service while the rest served as a source for spare parts. The helicopter force was basically created during the war period by purchasing around 20 Mil Mi-8 transports and 10 Mi-24 gunships, which were used to a devastating effect in 1995 during Operation Storm. After the war, many aircraft were withdrawn from service, and modern ones were also obtained, notably 20 Pilatus PC-9M and 10 Bell 206B-3 in 1997. After 2003 almost the whole fleet was modernized or completely overhauled. Russian Federation sold Croatia 10 Mil Mi-171Sh transport helicopters in 2006 to partly repay its old debt from the times of the Soviet Union.[13] First Zlin Z 242L trainer aircraft were acquired in 2007.[14]
Since joining NATO and EU
Republic of Croatia entered into Partnership for Peace in 2000, which began the process of accession into the alliance. It received an invitation to join at the 2008 Bucharest summit and became a full member of NATO on April 1, 2009.
The country applied for EU membership in 2003 and became the European Union's 28th member state on 1 July 2013.
In 2013, Croatian government decided to retire its fleet of Antonov An-32B tactical transport aircraft and instead rely on its allies for tactical transport.[15] The air force obtained 16 Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior from the US in 2016 and 2017 and these were assigned to the Helicopter Squadron at 93rd air Base.
Croatia has been attempting to replace its ageing MiG-21 fighters with new western fighters. The country opted to acquire 12 ex-Israeli General Dynamics F-16C/D Barak aircraft in 2017 but the sale was cancelled in early 2019 following inability to obtain relevant export approvals from the USA. Instead, Croatia purchased 12 French Dassault Rafale fighters in 2021.[16] In 2022 Croatia acquired its first Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk transport helicopter.[17] After Russian invasion of Ukraine, Croatia donated its Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters to Ukraine and arranged with United States the procurement of eight more Black Hawks, thus bringing the total number of these transport helicopters in its service to 12.[18][19]
The Polish Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej. In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 military personnel and about 475 aircraft, distributed among ten bases throughout Poland.
The Croatian Air Force is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and to provide aviation support to other branches in the implementation of their tasks in joint operations. Until the decision of the Croatian Parliament in 2018, HRZ was the holder and organizer of the integrated air defense system of the Republic of Croatia. Then the Air Defense (PZO) was separated into the Croatian Army.
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence, is the air force of Serbia and service branch of the Serbian Armed Forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Serbian airspace, and jointly with the Serbian Army, to protect territorial integrity of the country.
The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops were the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the empire's demise in 1918; it saw combat on both the Eastern Front and Italian Front during World War I.
The Hungarian Air Force, is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The Air Force and Air Defence, was one of three branches of the Yugoslav People's Army, the Yugoslav military. Commonly referred-to as the Yugoslav Air Force, at its height it was among the largest in Europe. The branch was disbanded in 1992 after the Breakup of Yugoslavia. In the year 1990, the Air Force had more than 32,000 personnel, but as a result of its more technical requirements, the Air Force had less than 4,000 conscripts.
The Republika Srpska Air Force was the air force of Republika Srpska and was used primarily during the Bosnian war. In 2005, it was integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SFOR still plays a large role in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which consists of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. Under the leadership of one president, the ministry of defense of both entities merged into one single ministry of defense with one chief of joint staff commanding both Air Forces. In 2004 there was again a restructuring of the armed forces, bringing the number of Air Force personnel down to 4,000. Next to the command, the 1st Regiment V i PVO consists out of a platoon, a radar battalion, artillery rocket ADF battalion, AF logistics battalion and aviation assets, a Fighter Bomber Squadron and Mixed Helicopter Squadron. In 2006 the Air Force of Republika Srpska was disbanded.
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force, was the aerial warfare service component of the Royal Yugoslav Army. It was formed in 1918 and existed until 1941 and the Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II.
The 1992 European Community Monitor Mission helicopter downing was an incident that occurred on 7 January 1992, during the Croatian War of Independence, in which a European Community Monitor Mission (ECMM) helicopter carrying five European Community (EC) observers was downed by a Yugoslav Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, in the airspace above the village of Podrute, near Novi Marof, Croatia. An Italian and a French officer and three Italian non-commissioned officers were killed. Another ECMM helicopter flying in formation with the attacked helicopter made an emergency landing. The second helicopter carried a crew and a visiting diplomat, all of whom survived. The incident was condemned by the United Nations Security Council and the EC. As a result of the incident, the Yugoslav authorities suspended the head of the air force, and the Yugoslav defense minister, General Veljko Kadijević, resigned his post. The events followed the end of the first stage of the war in Croatia and closely preceded the country's international recognition.
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, was the air force of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet state established with the support of the Axis Powers on the territory of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during World War II. The ZNDH was founded under German authority in April 1941, following the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia.
Mato Dukovac was the leading Croatian fighter ace of World War II, credited with between 40 and 44 confirmed victories. He joined the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, and then the Luftwaffe, with which he flew combat missions on the Eastern Front. His tours of the Eastern Front spanned October and November 1942, February to June 1943, and October 1943 to March 1944. He defected to the Soviet Union on 20 September 1944 and was returned to Yugoslavia in November 1944. He worked as a flight instructor for the Yugoslav Air Force in Pančevo and Zadar before defecting to Italy in April 1945.
The Croatian Air Force Legion, or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia.
The Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare was formed as part of the Regio Esercito on 7 January 1915, incorporating the Aviators Flights Battalion (airplanes), the Specialists Battalion (airships) and the Ballonists Battalion. Prior to World War I, Italy had pioneered military aviation in the Italo-Turkish War during 1911–1912. Its army also contained one of the world's foremost theorists about the future of military aviation, Giulio Douhet; Douhet also had a practical side, as he was largely responsible for the development of Italy's Caproni bombers starting in 1913. Italy also had the advantage of a delayed entry into World War I, not starting the fight until 24 May 1915, but took no advantage of it so far as aviation was concerned.
Air warfare during World War II in Yugoslavia pitted the Yugoslav Air Force, both Royal and NOVJ, United States Army Air Force (USAAF), the Royal Air Force (RAF), including the Balkan Air Force, and Soviet Air Forces against the German Luftwaffe, the Italian Regia Aeronautica and the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia. The latter provided the majority of the support for the ground operations against the Partisans. The Allied forces engaged in an extensive bombing campaign in an effort to weaken the Axis hold on the country.
The 252nd Training Squadron "Ušće Wolves" is a squadron of the 204th Air Brigade of the Serbian Air Force and based at Batajnica Air Base.
The 117th Fighter Aviation Regiment was a unit established in 1944 as the 112th Fighter Aviation Regiment. It was formed from Yugoslav partisan aviators, who were trained and equipped by the Soviet Air Force. The regiment was deployed in the Croatian War of Independence, and is believed to be responsible of the 1991 raid on Vrsar.
The 111th Helicopter Regiment was a unit established in 1944 as the 422nd Assault Aviation Regiment.
The 780th Transport Helicopter Squadron was a helicopter squadron of Yugoslav Air Force and later Republika Srpska Air Force formed in October 1960 as 34th Helicopter Squadron.
The 894th Helicopter Reconnaissance and Liaison Squadron was an aviation squadron of the Yugoslav Air Force formed in 1952 at Borongaj airfield as the Liaison Squadron of 5th Military district.
The history of the Serbian Air Force begins in 1912, when the air force was created and first aircraft were purchased. This made Serbia one of the first 15 states in the world to have an air force. Since that time, Serbian Air Force has numbered thousands of pilots, more than five thousand aircraft, four types of missile mid-range systems, a number of small-range missile systems and some 15 radar types.
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