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Helicopter unit of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Helicopter unit of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbian:Хеликоптерска јединица Министарства унутрашњих послова Републике Србије, Helikopterska jedinica Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije) is a unit of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) subordinated to Directorate of Police. It is equipped with helicopters trained to perform tasks; aerial of traffic surveillance, border monitoring, VIP transport, medevac, Search and rescue operations, aerial firefighting, transport of various cargo and special police units.

History

The Serbian Milicija acquired its first helicopter, an Bell 47 J-2, in 1967. Operations were shared with the Belgrade City Police. Subsequently, a number of regional Police helicopter units were created throughout SR Serbia. In 1970's and 1980's federal, republic and autonomous provinces governments have acquired a number of French, USA and Italian build helicopters.

At the end of the 1980s all Serbia police helicopters were brought under central control Public Security Services (Resor Javne Bezbednosti - RJB), under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

When riots broke out in Kosovo in 1989 and 1990, helicopters were used to break up the mass demonstrations by Kosovo Albanians. AB212 were used to transport special forces units to rebel strongholds.

The highly secretive Serbian Security Services (Resor Državne Bezbednosti - RDB) was formed in 1992, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It started with a small helicopter section with one Bell 206B-3 and one 206L-1. The helicopter section expanded by taking over AB212 and Gazelle helicopters from disbanded Federal Police units.

The RDB took part in combat operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia 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 helicopter squadron. The JSO took part in numerous combat operations during the escalating Kosovo crisis. Mi-24Vs were used to attack rebel training camps and hundreds of transport and medevac flight were carried out. During NATO Operation Allied Force JSO helicopters continued to fly liaison and medevac missions. No helicopters were lost.

In October 2001 the helicopters were publicly presented for the first time, during a joint exercise with Federal military forces. Serbia's Interior Ministry (MUP) was reorganised in 2002, with the JSO being detached from the national security service and placed directly under the Interior Minister. The helicopters were combined with the police squadron to form a joint helicopter unit as it it now. The JSO itself was officially disbanded on 25 March 2003, following the assassination of the Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić by the JSO's deputy commander on 12 March.

Helicopters

| Sikorsky S-76
|
| VIP transport
| S-76B
| 1
| Presidential helicopter
|}

Retired helicopters

! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Role
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Number
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|

| Aerospatiale Dauphin
|
| Policing, VIP transport
| SA.365N
| 2
| 1980's - 2001
| One sold in 2001
and another in 2004.
|

| Mi-17
|
| Transport
| Mi-17V
| 2
| 1997? - 2003
| Used by JSO,
passed to Air force
|

| Mi-24
|
| Attack
| Mi-24V
| 2
| 1997? - 2003
| Used by JSO,
passed to Air force
|}

reference

Helicopter unit of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs

History

Helicopters

Retired helicopters

See also