Every conflict and operation the North Macedonia Air Brigade has flown in
The air arm has flown in one armed conflict, at home in 2001, and on one peace operation abroad, EUFOR Althea in 2006–2008, whose heaviest loss came in a crash at home. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From the 2001 conflict to the EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| Conflicto | Años | Contra | Avión principal | Salidas | Avión perdido | |
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| The 2001 conflict in Macedoniathe insurgency of the National Liberation ArmyAir Force and Air Defence of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia | 2001 | National Liberation Army (NLA) | Mi-24V and Mi-24K, Su-25 and Su-25UB, Mi-8MT and Mi-17y 1 más | 1 | ||
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Transport, reconnaissance and fire support for government forces with Mi-8/17 and Mi-24 helicopters and, from June, Su-25 aircraft. The conflict began on 22 January 2001, according to Wikipedia, and reached Tetovo in March. Macedonia had an air arm of trainers and a handful of transport helicopters, and it bought a combat air force within months, mainly from Ukraine: ten Mi-24V and two Mi-24K gunships in several batches, four Mi-8MTs, and three Su-25s and a Su-25UB. Greece gave two UH-1Hs. Aeroflight dates the first combat operations to 25 March, when government forces launched their offensive after attacks on Tetovo. The Mi-24s flew fire support around Tetovo, Radusha and Aracinovo. The Su-25s flew their first mission from Petrovec on 23 or 24 June, depending on the source, and were used again at Tetovo on 24 July and Radusha on 12 August. Wikipedia, citing Gordon and Dawes, says Ukrainian pilots flew the Su-25s; the Macedonian government’s position on that was not found. According to Wikipedia the insurgents had shoulder-launched missiles and anti-aircraft guns, yet no aircraft was shot down. Government and insurgents described the conflict in different terms, and casualty figures remain disputed; the figures here are attributed. Resultado The Ohrid Framework Agreement was signed on 13 August 2001, and NATO’s Operation Essential Harvest collected the insurgents’ weapons from late August. Dates of the first Su-25 mission differ (23 June per Wikipedia, 24 June per Aeroflight and the Su-25 article). The role of Ukrainian pilots rests on one published book cited by Wikipedia. Civilian and combatant casualty figures are from one source and are disputed.
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| EUFOR AltheaBosnia y HerzegovinaAir Wing of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia | 2006–2008 | Mi-17 | 1 | |||
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A helicopter detachment with Mi-17s for the EU peace operation, in four rotations. Parliament decided on 22 May 2006 to send a unit to the EU’s Althea operation, and the agreement was signed in Brussels on 3 July 2006. The Helicopter Squadron provided four rotations between 2006 and 2008, the wing’s first deployment abroad. On 12 January 2008 a Mi-17 carrying members of the detachment from Camp Butmir in Sarajevo crashed near Blace in Katlanovo. All 11 on board were killed: Lt Col. Toni Spasovski, Maj. Goran Ristovski, Capts Brane Spasovski and Igor Gjoreski and seven non-commissioned officers and soldiers. A monument stands at the site, and it is the heaviest loss of life in the service’s history found in the sources checked. The cause was not established in the sources checked. Resultado The four rotations were completed; the army commemorates the Blace crash every 12 January. The official investigation findings were not found in the sources checked.
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Cada cifra, verificada
- Army of the Republic of North Macedonia: Air Brigade (English)Official history: formation began 28 February 1992; Air Force and Air Defence established 10 April 1992 by presidential decision; flight training from 10 June 1992; four Mi-17 in 1994; Zlin 242 in 1996; 2001 expansion 17 March to 4 September; Jasmin and Alexander upgrades; 2018 transformation into the Air Force Wing; commander Col. Dragan Pavlovski and deputy Col. Igor Chkorov.
- ARM: Helicopter SquadronFour Mi-17 in 1994, four Mi-8 in 2001; four EUFOR Althea rotations 2006-2008; 2024 contract with Leonardo for four AW149 and four AW169M.
- ARM: Combat Helicopter SquadronMi-24s from 2001: 12 bought from Ukraine, ten Mi-24V and two Mi-24K; night and NATO/ICAO avionics upgrade; planned guided missiles not bought for lack of money. Older page.
- ARM: 15 years of the helicopter crash near Blace marked (12 January 2023)Eleven members of the Air Force Wing killed on the way back from the EUFOR Althea mission.
- ARM: Tribute to the 11 Army members killed in the helicopter crash near Blace, Katlanovo (12 January 2024)Mi-17 crash on 12 January 2008 near Blace, Katlanovo; names the eleven dead.
- ARM: site search, helicopter crash anniversariesYearly commemorations every 12 January of the 2008 Blace crash.
- Aeroflight: Macedonian Air ForceFormed 10 June 1992 with one UTVA-66 and four UTVA-75A21 leased from the Macedonian aviation union; four Mi-17 from Ukraine in 1994 in white medical colours; four Zlin 242L in 1995; 2001: four Su-25, ten Mi-24V, four Mi-8MT and two UH-1H; first combat operations 25 March 2001; first fixed-wing combat mission 24 June 2001 from Petrovec.
Cifras verificadas el 30 de septiembre de 2026. Back to the North Macedonia Air Brigade.