The Helicopter unit ( sr, Хеликоптерска јединица, Helikopterska jedinica) is the air support unit of the Serbian Police. The unit can trace its origin back to 1967 and was established in its present form in 2002. The unit is in the process of modernising its fleet with the addition of the Airbus Helicopters H145M and has also ordered the Airbus Helicopters H215.

History

The

Milicija ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, , mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə) was the name of the police forces in the Soviet Union (until 1991) and in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), as well as in the non-aligned SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992). The ...

helicopter unit was founded in April 1967 when a Bell 47 J-2 was provided to the Republican Secretariat for Interior of the

Socialist Republic of Serbia , life_span = 1944–1992 , status = Constituent state of Yugoslavia , p1 = Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia , flag_p1 = Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg , p2 ...

. The helicopter was donated by the Federal Geological Institute of the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

who had used it for geological exploration for uranium. From 1980, a number of new generation helicopters with jet engines enter serviced including the Bell AB-212, the

Bell 206 The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progra ...

, Soko Gazelle and later the Aerospatiale AS365N Dauphin. When riots broke out in Kosovo and Metochia in 1989 and 1990, helicopters were used to break up the mass demonstrations by

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

. AB-212s were used to transport

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

units to rebel strongholds. The Federal Secretariat for Interior established a helicopter squadron during the 1960s acquiring a number of helicopters. This squadron was dissolved in 1992 and integrated into the Republican Secretariat for Interior Milicija Helicopter Unit. In 1992, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( sr-Latn, Ministarstvo Unutrašnjih Poslova (MUP)), was established in the new Republic of Serbia, consisting of the Public Security Service ( sr-Latn, Resor Javne Bezbednosti (RJB)), which oversaw the milicija (later renamed to policija (police) in 1996) and the State Security Service ( sr-Latn, Resor Državne Bezbednosti (RDB)). The State Security Service also maintained an Aviation Unit with a fleet of helicopters. The Ministry of Internal Affairs helicopter fleet included the Bell 206B/L, Soko Gazelle SA-341/342, Bell AB-212, Aerospatiale SA-365N Dauphin,

Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. ...

and

Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been o ...

The RDB took part in combat operations in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

in support of ethnic Serb forces – often flying without any markings or only marked with the Serbian flag. In 1997, RDB combat units were reorganised into a Brigade level unit: the Unit for Special Forces (JSO), including the Aviation Unit. The JSO took part in numerous combat operations during the escalating Kosovo and Metochia crisis.

s were used to attack rebel training camps and hundreds of transport and medevac flight were carried out. During the NATO Operation Allied Force in 1999, JSO helicopters continued to fly liaison and medivac missions. During the NATO bombing, no helicopters were damaged but the fleet hangar was destroyed. In 1998, a

Sikorsky S-76 The Sikorsky S-76 is a medium-size commercial utility helicopter designed and produced by the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It is the company's first helicopter specifically developed for the civilian market. The S-76 w ...

had entered service in the fleet for VIP transport. In October 2001, the helicopters were publicly presented for the first time, during a joint exercise with the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro. In 2002, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was re-organised following the dissolving of the RDB consequently the RDB Aviation Unit was integrated into the police Helicopter Unit. The military helicopters used by the RDB the

and the

were transferred to the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

Roles

The Helicopter Unit undertakes a wide variety of roles for the police and the MUP including: *Transportation of people and assets *Assisting the Police Directorate *Border monitoring in co-operation with the Border Police Directorate *Traffic control in co-operation with the Traffic Police Directorate *Supporting the Special Anti–Terrorist Unit including parachuting and the

Gendarmery Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (literally, " ...

* VIP transport *

Medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

Search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

Aerial firefighting Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art * Aerial sil ...

The Helicopter Unit has its own flight school to trains its pilots and also has its own aviation technicians to service its helicopters.

Helicopters

Current fleet

Retired fleet

References

External links

Serbia police aviation – aeroflight.co.uk
{{Law enforcement in Serbia Aviation in Serbia Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbia) Police aviation