22.11.2018.

Domestic weapons on new Airbus helicopters for the Serbian Armed Forces

By purchasing the new generation of Airbus H-145 helicopters that are the most modern in the world, the Serbian Armed Forces will become far more advanced, probably the most advanced in the entire region, and what is also special is that they will be armed with Serbian weapons, Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin said during the tour of the Airbus Helicopters plant in the German town of Donauwörth, where he attended the handover of the first H-145M helicopter for the Serbian Armed Forces and first package of equipment whose delivery is scheduled to take place by March next year. The last of the six contracted helicopters will be delivered by the end of 2019. Minister Vulin also met with with the pilots and engineers undergoing training at the German plant.

- This is a project initiated by President Vučić, when he was Prime Minister, and now it is to be concluded. This is a huge technological progress for us. We can freely say that we will skip two generations by purchasing these helicopters. We have Gazelle helicopters manufactured by Airbus, but we bought them far back in the 1970s and 80s, and this is now a completely new generation of Airbus H-145 helicopters, which are among the most modern in the world. Our pilots should go through appropriate training and as soon as this is completed, this helicopter will become part of armaments of our armed forces in March, which will become far more advanced and with these helicopters will be probably the most advanced in the whole region - Minister Vulin said.

Comparing former helicopters of the Serbian Armed Forces, Minister Vulin said that the new ones will be much better, not only because of the approach in the construction itself, but also because of the fact that they will be armed with Serbian weapons.

- We point out that these are helicopters that will be armed with our weapons. At first, our partners were suspicious of whether we can do it, as helicopter makers rarely if ever allow buyers to install their own weapons. As they have been assured of the quality of our weapons and our engineers, who will mount these weapons on these helicopters, we got permission and that will be done. These are helicopters that will be armed with Serbian weapons and Serbian brains. That is a big thing - Minister Vulin said.

According to him, our pilots have perfectly mastered the training and have all the praise from the representatives of the Airbus company, who say they have not seen pilots who learn so quickly and who adapt so quickly.

- As you know, Serbia is a militarily neutral country, and this is the best proof why military neutrality is very good for us. We choose what to get from the East and West. Everything which is good for our military will be part of the armaments of our army. These are western helicopters, just as we also buy eastern helicopters. A militarily neutral country can choose and we will jealously and stubbornly preserve this privilege that we have won, to be able to decide and choose - Minister Vulin said.

Klaus Przemeck, the Head of Airbus Helicopters' German Military Support, praised the cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, both during the negotiation process and during the process of implementing the contract.

As far as the H-145M helicopter is concerned, the director of Airbus pointed out that this model was used commercially for the purpose of air medical evacuations, and that for the needs of the Serbian Armed Forces this aircraft was adapted to its specific needs, such as search and rescue tasks, which are specific and require special equipment. As he added, that aircraft can be adapted to the needs of other tasks, which the Serbian Armed Forces will choose according to its needs. This also reflects the advantage of this helicopter model compared to others. With a certain package of equipment it can be used both for the military and commercial purposes, as required, and that is why all users have been satisfied so far, the Airbus director underlined.

Serbian pilots and engineers were trained at the Donauwörth plant. Lieutenant Colonel Ivica Živadinović is one of the pilots who will operate the H-145 M helicopter.

- The H-145M helicopter is an important technical step forward for the Serbian Armed Forces. There are many electronic devices and a very exceptional autopilot that gives him the opportunities we have not had in the military so far. Thanks to its highly precise autopilot, it can keep the location long and accurate, so the pilot is fully relieved. The position is maintained precisely, it can fly in all meteorological conditions, it has long range, and can carry up to ten passengers. It is one of the few helicopters in the world that can be completely safe in the event of a failure of one engine and continue in One Engine Inoperative (OEI) mode - Lieutenant Colonel Živadinović said emphasiyed, adding that the capabilities of this aircraft exceed pilots' abilities and that it has a wide range of uses.

- I am among few people who were lucky enough to fly on a helicopter that has just came out of the factory. Pilots are waiting all their life to fly on a new helicopter. For me this is for the second time; two years ago I was lucky enough to fly Mi-17 that arrived from Russia - Lieutenant Colonel Živadinović said. Speaking about the training of pilots and technicians, he pointed out that the training is challenging and that everybody is trying to master it the best they can.