The Croatian Air Force ( or HRZ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Armed Forces of Croatia. It is headquartered on the Pleso Air Base in Zagreb, Croatia with coastal airfields in Zadar and Split. The Air Force is tasked primarily with commanding and protecting Croatian airspace. Along with conducting independent air operations, it provides air support for land and naval forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field.
Its strategic mandate is articulated as air supremacy, reconnaissance, rapid mobility, air strike capability, as well as command and control. It is the second-youngest service branch and third-largest following the Croatian Navy and Croatian Army. This service branch oversees the nation's autonomous combat and surveillance drone fleet. It supports and participates in NATO, UN, EU, and American-led military operations around the world.
History
Formation and Croatian War of Independence The Croatian Air Force was established on 12 December 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. The cornerstone of the Croatian Air Force was the establishment of an aviation group at the Command of the National Guard Corps (ZNG).
On 17 October 1990, an air combat group was formed at the Sinj airport on Piket as the nucleus of the future Croatian Air Force. The most important was the independent air platoon Osijek, founded on 8 October 1991 by one of the "fathers" of the Croatian Air Force Marko Živković, who was killed in action on 2 December 1991 with the rest of the aircraft crew. The Independent Air Platoon Osijek supplied weapons and medical supplies to the defenders of Vukovar and carried out attacks on enemy positions during the battle of Vukovar with improvised boiler bombs. As the war progressed, MiG-21 fighter jets, Mi-24 combat helicopters, Mi-8 and Mi-17 transport helicopters became part of the Croatian Air Force. In late 1993 and early 1994, 40 MIG-21 aircraft produced between 1972 and 1980 were acquired from the former Central Asian republics of the USSR, of which 24 were included in the squadrons and 16 were used as spare parts supplies. In mid-1993, 15 Mil Mi-24 fighter helicopters were acquired.
Towards the end of the war, airspace protection actions, assault operations and landings of infantry units were carried out. Croatian MiG-21s were used for reconnaissance, air superiority missions, and close air support operations, despite limited resources and spare parts. In total, Croatian forces downed more than forty enemy aircraft and lost three MiG-21 to enemy fire. Croatia ordered ten Bell 206B-3, worth $15 million with training and support, for initial-entry helicopter pilot training in its air force in 1996. In 2005, government retired a squadron of seven Mi-24V helicopters due to maintenance costs. Following the 2007 Croatian coastal fires in Kornati, the government acquired two Canadair CL-415 and five Air Tractor AT-802 water bombers for $70 million. Croatia subsequently became the leading aerial firefighting power on the Mediterranean in respect to its population and surface.
Modernisation and NATO
Since joining the military alliance NATO in 2009, the Croatian Air Force has undergone multiple modernisation programs. With initial plans to replace the MiG-21 fleet with a multirole combat aircraft that year, the 2010s global financial crisis led to strained public finances. Two years later, in 2015, the Air Force acquired sixteen Bell OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopters. During the 2010s, members of the Air Force stationed in Afghanistan trained Afghan helicopter pilots, aviation technicians and flight technicians on the Mi-17 helicopter in Kabul. Croatia received a total of sixteeen OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters from the U.S. Army in 2016 worth $14.5 million.
In 2018, Croatia announced their intention to acquire 12 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from Israel for €410 million in a large-scale arms deal. This deal included two flight simulators, training for its pilots and maintenance staff in Israel, aircraft weapons, a package of spare parts and equipment for ground support and infrastructure construction. Originally sourced from the United States, the American government halted the deal by 2019 citing Israel's refusal to comply with the U.S. arms transfer guidelines.
Modernisation efforts were restarted in January 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During a training flight over the Adriatic Sea that year, a Croatian OH-58D helicopter struck the water and two pilots lost their lives. By May 2021, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced the acquisition of 12 French Dassault Rafale combat aircraft in a €999 million deal with France. The deal included comprehensive weapon systems, spare parts, logistics and training. During a transition period, the Italian Air Force and Hungarian Air Force protected neighboring Croatian airspace between 2024 and 2026. On 8 December 2025 a Letter of Intent was signed for the further upgrading of 12 Rafale aircraft from the F3-R standard to the enhanced capabilities of the Rafale F4 standard.
Croatia donated 14 helicopters – eleven Mi-8MTV-1, two Mi-8T and one Mi-8PS – to Ukraine as part of Croatian military aid in 2023. A year later, two Antonov An-32B tactical transport planes were donated as well. Croatia secured two DHC-515 fire-fighting planes from Canada as part of an international EU defence initiative worth €105 million in 2024. That year, the U.S. financed a Foreign Military Sale to Croatia valued at $273.8 million. This transaction included an additional eight UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and related equipment by 2028. A large €95 million arms deal with Turkey in 2024 led to the debut of Croatian Bayraktar TB2 drones by 2025. In 2026, Croatia announced a modernisation of their AN/FPS-117 radar system for €45 million and signed a High Visibility Project agreement to operate Airbus A400M as part of NATO's new multinational airlift fleet.
Organization
Commander of the Croatian Air Force
Air Force and Air Defence Command 91st Wing, at Zagreb Airport Command Company 125th Fighter Reconnaissance Squadron, flying Baykar Bayraktar TB2S 191st Fighter Aircraft Squadron, flying Dassault Rafale C/B F3-R 194th Multirole Helicopter Squadron, at Lučko Airfield, flying UH-60M Black Hawk Aviation Technical Battalion 93rd Wing, at Zadar Airport Command Company 395th Transport Helicopter Squadron, at Divulje Airfield, flying Mi-171Sh 392nd Aircraft Training Squadron, flying PC-9M and Zlín 242L 855th Firefighting Squadron, flying CL-415, AT-802A/F 393rd Combat Helicopter Squadron, flying OH-58D and Bell 206B-3 Aviation Technical Battalion Air Surveillance and Control Battalion, at Zagreb Airport Airspace Surveillance and Control Center, in Podvornica, reports to NATO's Integrated Air Defence System CAOC Torrejón in Spain Sector Operations Center, in Split to coordinate with the Croatian Coast Guard Mount Sljeme, Borinci, Papuk, Učka and Mount Rota radar posts with AN/FPS-117 radars Radio-technical Maintenance and Support Company, at Zagreb Airport Air Force Training Center "Rudolf Perešin", at Zadar Airport
Aircraft inventory
Aircraft Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes Combat aircraft Dassault Rafale France Multirole F3-R, C 10To be gradually upgraded to F4 standard between 2027 and 2032.F3-R, B2 Trainer aircraft Zlín Z 42 Czech Republic Ab initio trainer Z 242L 4Five received, one lost. Pilatus PC-9 Switzerland Basic trainer(reconnaissance and CAS) PC-9M 14Three received second-hand in 1996, and seventeen new in 1997. Six sold and fourteen remain in use. Aerial firefighting Air Tractor AT-802 United States Fire suppressor AT-802A 5Seven received, one lost.AT-802F1 Canadair CL-415 Canada Water bomber CL-415 6 DHC-515 0Two on orderUnmanned aerial vehicleBayraktar TB2TurkeyUCAVTB2S6Combat drone fleetOrqa InterceptorCroatiaUAIVMRM-2 ClassifiedFPV-enabled drones
Helicopters Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes Multirole Mil Mi-17 Russia Transport / utility / armed capable Mi-171Sh 10 Received new in 2007 and 2008. Scout and combat Bell OH-58 United States Armed scout OH-58D(R) 15Sixteen received, one lost. Utility Sikorsky UH-60 United States Utility UH-60M 4 Eight more on order. Trainer helicopters Bell 206 United States Rotorcraft trainer 206B-3 8Ten received, two lost.
Weapons Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes Weapons of the Dassault Rafale GIAT 30 France Cannon (30×150mm B calibre) GIAT 30M 791 12 MBDA MICA France Air-to-air missile (radar guidance) MICA RF/EM – Air-to-air missile (infrared guidance) MICA IR –MBDA MeteorEuropean countries(United Kingdom. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden)BVR air-to-air missile–– MBDA SCALP-EG France, United Kingdom Cruise missile – – Safran AASM Hammer France Glide guided bomb – – GBU-12 Paweway II United States Laser-guided bomb – – Weapons of the Bayraktar TB2Tübitak Sage BOZOKTurkeyAir-to-surface missile–– Roketsan MAM Turkey Air-to-surface missile – – Weapons of the OH-58DM2 BrowningUnited StatesHeavy machine gunM296– Hydra 70 United States Rockets – – AGM-114 Hellfire-2 United States Air-to-surface missile M36, R 100Weapons of the Mi-171ShZastava M84YugoslaviaGeneral-purpose machine gun––S-8RussiaRockets––Weapons of the UH-60MM240United StatesMachine gun (7.62mm)__
Radars Model Variant Origin Type In service Notes Air surveillance AN/FPS-117 – United States L-band, AESA, 3D air search radar 5 Saab Giraffe Giraffe 40 Sweden PESA, short-range air defence radar 5
Retired aircraft
Extended list of retired aircraft
The Croatian Air Force has previously operated the following aircraft since formation: MiG-21, An-32, CL-215, An-2, UTVA 75, Mi-24, Mi-8, and MD 500.
Personnel
The Croatian Air Force has had 1,500 members since 2026. It maintains over 200 pilots. Approximately 13.44% of service members are women.
Ranks
Commissioned officers The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
Enlisted personnel The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
See also Croatian military ranks History of Croatian Air Force 2022 Zagreb Tu-141 drone crash Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia Croatian Air Force Legion
References
Bibliography Lisko, T. and Canak, D., Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo u Drugome Svjetskom Ratu (The Croatian Airforce in the Second World War) Zagreb, 1998 . Savic, D. and Ciglic, B. Croatian Aces of World War II Osprey Aircraft of the Aces – 49, Oxford, 2002