Slovenian Air Force and Air Defence is a part of the
Slovenian Armed Forces. It is an integral part of the command structure, not an independent branch.
Duties
Slovenian Air Force and Air Defence aim is securing the sovereignty of the airspace of the
Republic of Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
and providing air support to other services in the implementation of their tasks in
joint operations Joint operations can mean:
* Joint warfare, the basis of modern military doctrine
**More loosely, Combined arms, an element of joint warfare
* Literal operations on joints of the body, see Orthopedic surgery
* '' Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising,'' ...
. Its main tasks are:
* Inspection and control of the air space security
* Providing help in natural, humanitarian, and technological disasters
*
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 ...
operations
* Taking part in international missions and operations
Since Slovenia does not have the air capabilities to police its airspace in accordance with NATO standards, nor does it plan to develop such capabilities, these tasks are performed alternately by the
Italian and
Hungarian Air Forces under
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
command.
History
![Slovene Teritorial Defense Gazelle paint scheme TO-001 VELENJE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Slovene_Teritorial_Defense_Gazelle_paint_scheme_TO-001_VELENJE.jpg)
Slovenian contact with military aviation began during World War I, when the army and navy air services of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
conscripted large numbers of personnel from throughout the Empire. As the Empire began to collapse during 1918, Slovenian aircrew and ground crew switched their allegiance to the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
. Aircraft found on Slovenian territory were taken over by the Slovenian authorities and formed into a fledgling air arm. The new air arm was soon involved in the conflict with Austria over the border provinces of Carinthia and south Styria. Later in 1919, the Slovenian air units were absorbed into the
Royal Yugoslav Air Force
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...
.
In 1968 a reserve volunteer force, the Teritorialna Obramba (Territorial Defence of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia), was established to defend local key locations in time of crisis. The Slovenian Territorial Defence HQ had a small auxiliary aviation unit stationed at Ljubljana-Polje airfield by 1969, when Government Factories Type 522 advanced trainers were being operated. These aircraft were borrowed from the
Yugoslav Air Force and not owned by Slovenia. Slovenian Territorial Defence ceased to be a part of the Yugoslavian auxiliary forces on 21 June 1991, (four days prior of the proclamation of independence), when the Yugoslav army seized 12
Soko J-20 Kraguj aircraft from them.
On 28 June 1991 a Yugoslav Air Force Gazelle defected to Slovenia, providing the first helicopter for the Territorial Defence Force. During the war it also was equipped with three ex-Police Bell 412s and an Agusta A-109A. On 9 June 1992 the Air Force Unit of the Slovenian Army was renamed into 15 Brigada Vojaskega Letalstva. The 15 Brigada was divided into two squadrons, one fixed-wing and one helicopter squadron, flying from two bases, Brnik airport and Cerklje ob Krki. The 15 Brigada was under control of the 1 Air Force and Air Defence Force Command located at Kranj. In 2004 Slovenia entered NATO. Now NATO is responsible for protecting Slovenian airspace. On 8 November 2004 the 15 Brigada was officially disbanded. In its place three new units were formed.
The 15 Air Force Brigade was restructured into the 15 Helicopter Battalion, the Air Force School, and the Air Force Base. The 15 Helicopter Battalion is located at the Brnik air base. The unit is equipped with eight Bell 412 helicopters and four AS-532 Cougar helicopters. The units duties are to organise training courses for pilots and technical staff, to organise search and rescue missions and operate within the System of Civil Protection, Help and Rescue, to secure cargo transportation to mountain areas, to extinguish fires, and to provide air support for SAF units.
The Air Force Military School is located at the Cerklje ob Krki air base. The school conducts the basic and advance training programmes for future air force pilots in two Zlin 142L and eight Zlin 242L planes and four Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopters, organises practices for air force pilots, provides fire support, and carries out various tasks for other branches of the armed forces by using the two PC-9 and nine PC-9M planes. A part of the Air Force Military School is also the parachute squad, located at the Brnik air base, which organises basic and advanced parachute training for SAF members.
The Air Force Base, located at the Cerklje ob Krki air base, carries out logistic support, such as fuel supply. The unit is equipped with two PC-6 planes and one L-410 plane. The Air Force Base unites the air supply squad and the technical support unit whose main tasks are to plan and conduct the second stage of aircraft maintenance, carry out technical personnel training, update aircraft documentation, etc. Another restructuring took place in 2007 when the Air Force School and the 15 Helicopter Battalion were made into a single command making logistics easier, and reduce staff. Following the decision to operate jet aircraft from 2015 again, major restructuring will take place at Cerklje.
Due to reorganization of the Slovenian Armed Forces, the Air Defense and Aviation Brigade will be reconstructed to the 15th
Wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
(Military Aviation Regiment). The Wing will consist of 151st Rotary Wing Squadron, 152nd Fixed Wing Squadron, 153rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 16th Air Space Control and Surveillance Centre, 107th Air Base and Flight School. Air Defense elements will be moved to
Ground Forces.
Aircraft
Current inventory
![Slovenian Air Force AS532 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Slovenian_Air_Force_AS532_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Note: Three
C-17 Globemaster III's are available through the
Heavy Airlift Wing based in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
.
Retired
Previous aircraft operated were an
Agusta-Bell 212
The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Twin Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada in ...
,
Agusta A.109,
Aérospatiale Gazelle, and a
UTVA 75 trainer.
Acquisition of new aircraft
The Slovenian Ministry of Defense tested the
EADS CASA C-295
The CASA C-295 (now Airbus C295) is a medium tactical transport aircraft that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASA.
Work on what would become the C-295 was started during the 1990s as a derivative of t ...
and the
C-27J Spartan in Cerklje AFB in 2007. Two Casa C-295 were chosen, with the first one to be delivered in 2008 and the second in 2010. The first aircraft was ordered in January 2008, but in February the aircraft order was frozen because of the
Mirosławiec air accident
Mirosławiec (german: Märkisch Friedland; csb, Frédlądk) is a town in Wałcz County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,837 inhabitants (2007).
The 12th Air Base of the Polish Air Force is located north of the town.
Mirosławiec i ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
In 2021, the Slovenian Ministry of Defense ordered at least one C-27J Spartan. The estimated delivery date is set to be in 2023.
Incidents and accidents
* In 1993 a
UTVA-75 crashed in
Slovenj Gradec
Slovenj Gradec (; german: Windischgrätz'', ''after about 1900 ''Windischgraz'') is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Slovenj Gradec. It is part of the historical Styria region, and since 2005 it has belon ...
airport.
* In 1994 a
Let L-410 Turbolet hit HT wires on landing in
Brnik. It was later repaired.
* In 1994 a
Aérospatiale Gazelle crashed among the trees in Kočevska Reka with 4 members who were slightly injured.
* In 2004 a
Pilatus PC-9 crashed in
Lenart, resulting in the death of Major Drago Svetina.
* In 2008 a
Pilatus PC-9 with a pilot candidate
ejected
Ejection or Eject may refer to:
* Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game
* Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series
* "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Sense ...
, the plane was not damaged and returned safely with the other pilot to
Cerklje ob Krki Airbase
Cerklje ob Krki Airport ( sl, Letališče Cerklje ob Krki) is the only military airport in Slovenia, and a civilian airport. The Cerklje ob Krki Air Base operates at it. The airport is in the midst of an enlargement and restructuring.
History T ...
.
*In 2019 a
Pilatus PC-9 hit electrical wire while flying under
power line close to
Bukovje. The plane landed safely at
Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport
Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport ( sl, Letališče Edvarda Rusjana Maribor) is an international airport in Maribor, Slovenia. The second biggest and second most important Slovenian airport, it is the only other airport besides the airport in Ljublj ...
.
*In 2019 a
Eurocopter AS532 Cougar hit the branch with the tip of the rotor arm, the tip of the rotor was damaged. Event happened above the valley of Vrata.
Ranks
References
{{Allied Air Command
Air forces by country
Brigades of Slovenia
Military units and formations established in 1992
Aviation in Slovenia