A Croatian Air Force transport helicopter, MI-17, prepares to land at Camp
Bondsteel, Kosovo, Aug. 6, 2019. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)
Croatia is preparing to supply Ukraine with 14 Soviet-made Mi-8 military transport helicopters, Jutarnji list reported on February 26.
The Croatian daily said that 12 Mi-8MTB-1 and two Mi-8T helicopters, which were recently taken out from service with the Croatian Armed Forces, could be supplied to Ukraine in around ten days. Croatian markings are currently being removed from the helicopters, which are being repaired at the Aeronautical Technical Center in Velika Gorica.
Seven of the helicopters will be partially disassembled and delivered by land, while the other seven will be flown to Poland, according to Jutarnji.
The Mi-8, which has combat radius of 350 kilometers, can carry 24 passengers or 12 stretchers and a seat for one medical attendant or 4,000 kg of payload. The helicopter can be also armed with unguided rockets, bombs and machine guns on six external hardpoints.
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Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has publicly voiced support for Ukraine. However, the country’s president, Zoran Milanovic, is against providing military support to Kiev.
Reports that Croatia’s Defense Ministry would donate some of its Soviet-made Mi-8 helicopters to Ukraine first emerged last November. Jutarnji reported that Milanovic was angered by the reports, saying at the time that Croatia’s Defense Ministry did not inform him how these helicopters would be replaced.
Kiev forces operated some 40 Mi-8 helicopters before the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine last year. In January, Lithuania provided two more.
Ukraine also received 20 modernized Mi-17 helicopters from the United States. The helicopters, which were originally destined to the former Afghan government were all delivered by late July. In August, Latvia provided two additional Mi-17s.
Dozens of Ukrainian transport helicopters have been already shot down, destroyed on the ground or even captured by the Russian military. Kiev’s allies are now making attempts to supply all sorts of aircraft to the country, including fighter jets, in the hope of keeping the air force and the ground forces’ aviation alive.
