Helicopter unit of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs
Encyclopedia
The Helicopter unit is the aviation unit in service with Serbian law enforcment. Its purpose it to provide aerial surveillance of traffic, border monitoring, VIP
transport, medevac, Search and rescue
, aerial firefighting
, transport of various cargo and special police units.
, 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 1980s federal
, republic
and autonomous provinces governments have acquired a number of French
, USA and Italian
build helicopters.
At the end of the 1980s, due the centralization of all police force in Serbia, all police helicopters, from autonomous provinces, republic and city police helicopter units 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 is 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.
! 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;"|Notes
|----
| Bell 206
|
| Policing
| 206B-3 JetRanger III
206L-1 LongRanger
| 6
2
|
|----
| Bell 212
|
| Policing
| Agusta-Bell AB 212
| 3
|
|----
| Aérospatiale Gazelle
| /
| Policing
| SA.341G
SA.342L
| 7
3
|
|----
| Sikorsky S-76
|
| VIP transport
| S-76B
| 1
| Presidential helicopter
! 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
|----
| Bell 47J Ranger
|
| Policing
| Agusta-Bell AB.47J-2A
| ?
| 1967 - 1970's
|
|----
| Agusta-Bell AB.206
|
| Policing
| 206A JetRanger I
206B JetRanger II
| 3
1
| 1970's - 1980's
1976 - 1980's
|
|----
| 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
VIP
VIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
transport, medevac, Search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue 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, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
, aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
, transport of various cargo and special police units.
History
The Serbian Milicija acquired its first helicopter, an Bell 47 J-2Bell 47J Ranger
|-See also:-References:* -External links:* from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley...
, in 1967. Operations were shared with the Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
City Police. Subsequently, a number of regional Police helicopter units were created throughout SR Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...
. In 1970's and 1980s federal
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, republic
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...
and autonomous provinces governments have acquired a number of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, USA and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
build helicopters.
At the end of the 1980s, due the centralization of all police force in Serbia, all police helicopters, from autonomous provinces, republic and city police helicopter units were brought under central control Public Security Services (Resor Javne Bezbednosti - RJB), under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
When riots broke out in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
in 1989 and 1990, helicopters were used to break up the mass demonstrations by Kosovo Albanians. AB212 were used to transport special forces
SAJ (Special Anti-terrorist Unit)
The Special Anti-terrorist Unit is a special operations and tactical police unit in Serbia.-History:The SAJ was formed in the former Yugoslavia, due to the increasing phenomenon of terrorism in Europe that was occurring at the time from such groups as: IRA, ETA, Red Army Faction and the Red Brigade...
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
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
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 is now. The JSO itself was officially disbanded on 25 March 2003, following the assassination of the Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić
Assassination of Zoran Đinđić
The assassination of Zoran Đinđić, the Prime Minister of Serbia, took place on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.- Background :The assassination of Đinđić was preceded by several unsuccessful attempts on his life...
by the JSO's deputy commander on 12 March.
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;"|Notes
|----
| Bell 206
Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine 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 program, the 206 failed to be selected...
|
| Policing
| 206B-3 JetRanger III
206L-1 LongRanger
| 6
2
|
|----
| Bell 212
|
| Policing
| Agusta-Bell AB 212
| 3
|
|----
| Aérospatiale Gazelle
Aérospatiale Gazelle
The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a five-seat light helicopter, powered by a single turbine engine. It was designed and manufactured in France by Sud Aviation . It was also manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom , by SOKO in Yugoslavia and ABHCO in Egypt...
| /
| Policing
| SA.341G
SA.342L
| 7
3
|
|----
| Sikorsky S-76
Sikorsky S-76
The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter. The S-76 is powered by two turboshaft engines, which drive both the main and tail rotors, each with four blades...
|
| 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
|----
| Bell 47J Ranger
Bell 47J Ranger
|-See also:-References:* -External links:* from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley...
|
| Policing
| Agusta-Bell AB.47J-2A
| ?
| 1967 - 1970's
|
|----
| Agusta-Bell AB.206
Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine 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 program, the 206 failed to be selected...
|
| Policing
| 206A JetRanger I
206B JetRanger II
| 3
1
| 1970's - 1980's
1976 - 1980's
|
|----
| Aerospatiale Dauphin
Eurocopter Dauphin
The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
|
| Policing, VIP transport
| SA.365N
| 2
| 1980's - 2001
| One sold in 2001
and another in 2004.
|----
| Mi-17
MI-17
MI-17 can refer to:* Mil Mi-17, Soviet helicopter*M-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