Andrzej Jeziorski/ZAGREB
CROATIA HAS succeeded in buying a force of Mil Mi-24V Hind helicopter gunships, despite the continuing UN arms embargo on the former Yugoslav republic.
Military officials say that the gunships, which came into Croatian service last year, have been bought only for casualty evacuation, and represent no violation of the embargo. They decline to say which country supplied the helicopters.
The officials refuse to reveal how many Mi-24s have been bought, although at least six have been seen at Pleso air base near the Croatian capital, Zagreb.
Several of the helicopters are now painted with red crosses, although some still have the standard turret-mounted Yak B-12.7 four-barrel 12.7mm cannon. All helicopters seen have the typical four pylons and wingtip launchers in place on their stub wings.
Croatian air force officials at Pleso admit that the helicopters could quickly be armed for the battlefield role, although they say they have insufficient weapons stocks to do so.
Croatia is, however, known to have an unspecified number of 9M114 (NATO designation AT-6 Spiral) anti-tank missiles.
The Mi-24V can also carry R-60 (NATO AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missiles, which have been seen fitted to Croatian air force Mikoyan MiG-21bis fighters.
According to Croatian air force commander Maj Gen Imra Agotic, the air force has formally reported to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) a fighter force of six MiG-21bis interceptor/ground-attack aircraft, although he admits the air force has more.
The others - including several two-seat MiG-21Us - are, he claims, "...unarmed or used as training aircraft", and hence do not need to be declared.
Twelve MiG-21s were shown flying in formation to international observers at November's Poseidon '94 exercise - the first public demonstration of Croatian land, sea and air power. It is unlikely, however, that these 12 are the air force's entire MiG force.
"We did not report combat helicopters [to the OSCE] because they are not fitted with arms," adds Agotic. Air force officials say that it was decided to use Mi-24s for casualty evacuation because they are armoured and offer more protection to wounded and crew in a conflict where unarmed helicopters with red-cross markings have previously come under Serb fire.
Diplomatic sources describe this explanation as "very unconvincing", although red-cross vehicles are permitted limited weaponry for self-defence. "Until you see them going into battle, you can't actually say they are being used for anything other than that," says one official.
The sources also cite persistent rumours that arms have never stopped flowing into Croatia - and indeed other republics in former Yugoslavia - from former Warsaw Pact states.
The air force, which started life in 1991 with three captured Yugoslavian MiG-21s (although two were lost in the early days of the war) claims it has assembled the rest from a large stock of spares at its overhaul centre near Zagreb, a claim observers. found hard to believe
Former defence minister Gen Martin Spegelj, among others, claims that Croatia has acquired as many as 14 MiG-23s, while further rumours of a recent acquisition of six MiG-29s from Eastern Europe circulate in political and defence circles.
Both are firmly denied by the air force, however, and thought to be doubtful by diplomats, who comment that such a buy would involve a huge capital investment.
Source: Flight International
