Macedonia has significantly expanded its inventory with the purchase of four armed Mil Mi-8MTV/Mi-17 Hips and two Mil Mi-24V Hinds from Ukraine. Greece has donated two Bell UH-1Hs. Two more Mi-24s are to be delivered shortly, say officials in Kiev and Skopjie.
The deliveries follow a 1999 agreement between the two countries and form part of the Ukraine's debt repayment to Macedonia.
Macedonia's army previously operated four Mi-8s - one of which was lost earlier this month - and a few fixed-wing aircraft. Deliveries were accelerated following escalating tension between the government and Albanian separatists.
Source: Flight International