AIR POLICING MACEDONIA
The Balkan Hawks
Macedonia, officially the Republic of Macedonia, is located in the central Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the states of former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991 and became a member of the United Nations in 1993. The Republic of Macedonia is bordered by Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west.
Since December 2005 it has also been a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership. Law enforcement in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOI). Headquartered in Skopje and headed by a Government-appointed Director for a four-year mandate, the Ministry’s Bureau for Public Security runs the national Police Force, which is playing a vital role in the country’s security; an important role is played by the Macedonian Police Aviation Unit which has a long history in the region.
The Macedonian Police aviation unit ‘Hawks’ ( Helikopterska Edinica “Jastrebi”) currently operates a small fleet of helicopters out of Petrovec Airport and Indrizovo, the latter being the main Macedonian Police station, located about 15 kilometres to the east of Petrovec airport. Various types currently in use range from the AB.206, AB.212, AB.412 to the Mi-17V5 (2) and Mi-171 (2) heavy transport helicopters. The Macedonian Police acquired these helicopters to support their tasks and expand capabilities especially night operations and support of the Special Task Unit (STU).
The official name of the Macedonian Police Aviation Unit is Oddel za vozduhoplovni edinici, which translates as ‘ Aircraft Unit of the Macedonian Police’. Macedonian Police helicopters are used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOI) for various tasks: VIP transport, transport of cargo and the special police units (STU/ Special Task Unit), Border monitoring, Search and Rescue ( SAR) missions, Medevac and traffic surveillance. The ‘ Hawks’ unit was formed in 1969 and for 40 years has been operating Belldesigned helicopters. The addition of the four Mi-17 helicopters came as a surprise
in both Macedonia and abroad, especially considering the experience the MOI has with its limited western-origin fleet and at the same time, the logistical problems the Macedonian Air Brigade is currently having with its Mi-17 and Mi-24V helicopters in terms of spare parts.
The Mi-171 helicopters are currently part of an extensive upgrade under the socalled ‘Balkan programme’. Elbit Systems is involved in the upgrade which seems similar to the ‘Alexander’ upgrade to both Mi-17 and Mi-24s of the Macedonian Air Brigade though detailed information remains scarce at the moment. As Dragi Micev, Head of the Aviation Department, states “The first stage of the upgrade consists of adding Night Vision Capabilities and has been implemented by now. Stage 2 comprises of a moving map, upgraded Radio and GPS amongst others. Both Police Mi-171 helicopters should be upgraded by the end of 2013”. Further details were not revealed during the author’s visit.
The Hawks are currently working with limited personnel which puts much pressure on pilots and technicians. “Our pilots and mechanics are mainly ex- Air Force” Dragi Micev continues. “We have experienced and senior personnel; however there is a continuous pressure as we work with a team of around 30 people in total. Maintenance of our helicopters is done on base by the Unit. After 600 hours of flight the helicopters are overhauled abroad. There is always a challenge to allow for holidays, but also keep a 24x7 alert in case of emergency”. Currently three student pilots are being trained within the unit with the senior pilots also acting as examiners. “We could easily double our headcount in order to achieve all our activities and put