CROATIA LOOKS TO ACQUIRE U.S. HELICOPTERS, DONATE MI-8S TO UKRAINE
WARSAW - Croatia's Defense Ministry has presented plans to acquire up to 20 American-made UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters while donating 14 of its existing inventory of Mil Mi-8MTV 'Hip' helicopters to Ukraine.
The Croatian plan would see its Air Force fleet of Soviet-designed, Ukrainian-built fleet of Mi-8s moved off its helicopter stocks in favor of a platform utilized by a NATO ally. Under the plan the Croatian Air Force' modernization would be two-pronged: ridding itself of Soviet-era materiel while adopting a model that meets NATO standards and allows for greater interoperability with a key ally. Further, the donated Mi-8s will be used by Ukraine to combat Russia-sponsored separatists, thus underscoring a foreign policy move that risks straining relations with Moscow, but ensures warmer ties with Kiev.
The Croatian Air Force' Mi-8s were acquired in the early 1990s and were set to be upgraded under a 2013 contract with Ukrainian state arms agency Ukrspecexport.
The UH-60 Black Hawks in question would be provided to Croatia from U.S. military second-hand stocks and will come with logistics support, pilot and crew training, plus spare parts.
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