By the end of 1945, the Yugoslav Air Force was armed with almost 700 combat aircraft. The collection was very varied: Pe-2, Il-2, Yaks, Spitfires, Hurricanes, Italian and German trophies. Thus, as part of the reparations for the occupation of Macedonia, Bulgaria handed over to the reviving aviation of Yugoslavia a large number of aircraft of various designs - 100 Messerschmitt Bf.109G-2, G-6, G-10 fighters, DAR-9 "Siniger" training aircraft, two divisions of Pe- 2, Il-2 attack aircraft and 30 light reconnaissance bombers of their own production KB-11 "Fazan".
KB-11 Air Force of Yugoslavia
In general, Yugoslavia was oriented towards cooperation with the USSR, so Soviet-made aircraft became the main ones in the Air Force.
Fighter Yak-3 Air Force of Yugoslavia
With the liberation of Yugoslavia, they immediately began to restore the domestic aircraft industry. In 1946, the Air Force Technical Institute was organized in Zarkovo, which became the country's main scientific and research aviation center. The first post-war aircraft of its own design - the training Aero-2 - performed its first flight in October 1946. In total, the Ikarus plant produced 380 aircraft, which were used both in the Air Force and in flying clubs.
Training aircraft Aero-2
It took Yugoslav engineers only 11 months to develop the S-49 fighter based on the IK-3. The Soviet Union rendered great assistance to Yugoslavia, and not only with ready-made aircraft, spare parts and equipment for aircraft factories. The S-49 was based on the Soviet Yakovlev Yak-9 fighter. The aircraft was a cantilever low-wing aircraft of mixed design and had a retractable landing gear with a tail wheel. The prototype, which made its first flight in 1948, was equipped with the Soviet Klimov VK-105PF-2 engine with a capacity of 1244 hp. The new aircraft received a government order for 45 aircraft, which were commissioned before 1951 and entered service with the 204th and 117th IAP in Zemun.
Yugoslav fighter S-49A
After breaking off relations with the USSR in 1948, the Yugoslavs were forced to purchase French Hispano-Suiza HS-127 Z-17 engines. The new, more advanced, but also heavier engine was suitable for aircraft made entirely of metal and had a longer nose, as a result of which work began to change the design of the aircraft. The armament remained the same: a German MG-151 machine gun, American M2 Browning machine guns, two bombs weighing 50 kg each or four HVAR missiles. Since 1952, the Ikarus S-49C version has been in service with the army; about 130 of these aircraft were built in the 1950s. Until 1961, the aircraft were actively used in the Yugoslav Air Force.
Yugoslav fighter S-49С
Yugoslav fighters also took part in several air episodes of the Cold War. So, on August 9, 1945, a pair of Yugoslav Yak-3s intercepted and shot down an American C-47 over Ljubljana airport on September 19, another C-47 was intercepted and shot down. In 1946, a pair of Yak-3s forced another American C-47 to land.
In 1947, tensions on the Yugoslav - Greek border increased sharply, which was associated with the civil war in Greece. In response, in April 1947, the 5th IAD was formed in Skopje on Yak-3 fighters. Moreover, at the request of the Albanian General Staff from June 12 to September 21, 21 Yak-3 defended the Albanian sky. The Yugoslav pilots were based at various sites in the field.
Jet aircraft received special priority. Back in 1948a high-ranking military delegation went to Moscow to agree not only on the supply of spare parts for aircraft, primarily for Yak fighters, but also on the purchase of jet technology. The negotiations were held in a friendly atmosphere, and the USSR Defense Minister Marshal Bulganin even joked: "Let them make noise over Belgrade," which meant agreement to supply Yugoslavia with MiG-9 and Yak-15 fighters.
However, Stalin's post-war friendship with Tito did not last long. In 1948, the "best friend" of the Soviet aviators branded his Yugoslav counterpart as an agent of world imperialism, and relations between the countries turned into a real "cold war." The severance of relations with the USSR also hurt the Yugoslav aviation, which included 12 air regiments with 400 combat aircraft (attack aircraft, fighters and bombers). The supply of spare parts and aircraft stopped, so the Yugoslav technicians had to engage in cannibalism, which affected its numbers, and all specialists who studied at our institutes, academies and flight schools were urgently expelled from the Soviet Union. On March 18, 1948, Bulganin ordered the head of a group of Soviet military advisers in Yugoslavia, General Obrashkov, to urgently leave Yugoslavia, because Soviet officers are in a "hostile encirclement."
There was also a reaction from Yugoslavia. Tito may well be called Stalin's best student. He guarded his power by cleansing. A large number of Yugoslavs (95% of whom were Serbs and Montenegrins, who, due to their traditionally friendly attitude towards Russians, were regarded as loyal to Moscow) ended their lives in the camps, being declared “Stalinists”. Terror did not bypass the Yugoslav Air Force; some Air Force servicemen even decided to flee to the USSR. The pilots had chances to fly east by plane. After several successful escapes on alert with the task of shooting down planes with pilots trying to escape, the fastest fighters of the Yugoslav Air Force at that time, the Yak-9P, were delivered.
Yugoslav fighter Yak-9P
From what happened, Tito drew other conclusions, and in the future Yugoslavia always tried not to depend in anything (including the aircraft industry) from other countries and to produce everything necessary, if possible, at its factories.
Independence from other countries is, of course, a good thing, but Yugoslavia has not yet recovered from the consequences of the war and has not yet been able to provide its air force with modern aircraft on its own. After lengthy negotiations, on November 14, 1951, the Military Assistance Agreement (MDAP) was concluded. The United States, Great Britain and France agreed to supply Yugoslavia with military equipment, including aviation, but not the most modern: Thunderbolts (150 F-47D delivered) and Mosquito (143, served until 1962).
Fighter P-47 "Thunderbolt" Air Force of Yugoslavia
Mosquito FB. Mk. VI Yugoslav Air Force
Also received 20 transport C-47, eight training "Anson".
Nevertheless, Yugoslavia continued to strengthen and develop its aircraft industry, preparing to produce the entire range of aircraft. New enterprises for the production of various aircraft equipment were also built. From 1949 in the town of Prva Petoletka, they began to assemble chassis assemblies and hydraulic equipment. The plant in Rakovica was significantly expanded and it continued to produce aircraft engines, while engineers from Banja Luka created radio and electrical equipment. In 1951, the Soko aircraft plant in Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina) began work, which became one of the main assembly plants in the country, and not only aviation ones. The large enterprise, which consisted of several factories, began to produce prefabricated houses, refrigerators, transmissions for cars, tractors and much more. Aircraft order "Soko" began in 1952 with the assembly of the wing and tail for the fighter.
Aircraft of their own designs were developed. In 1947, work began on the creation of a light reconnaissance bomber. In 1949, the prototype, designated Ikarus 214, took to the air for the first time. The aircraft was a cantilever low-wing aircraft with an oval fuselage, vertical tail washers with rudders, and a retractable landing gear with a tail wheel. Ikarus 214 successfully passed factory tests, but the flight characteristics of the aircraft no longer met the requirements of the Air Force and it was decided to create a training aircraft on its basis.
In 1951, a prototype of a twin-engined light aircraft, designated Ikarus 214D, made its maiden flight. Designed according to the new tactical and technical requirements of the Yugoslav Air Force, the aircraft was equipped with two Ranger SVG-770 480 hp engines located in wing gondolas. The entire crew could be trained in this aircraft; in the transport version, the plane accommodated a pilot and eight passengers. The production aircraft were powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 radial engines.
Yugoslavian trainer aircraft Ikarus 214D
In 1949, in Yugoslavia, a prototype of a two-seater training aircraft to improve flight training, designated 213 Vihor, took off. It was a mixed cantilever low-wing aircraft with a Ranger SVG-770-CB1 520 hp engine. The main struts of the tricycle landing gear with a tail wheel in the first prototype were retracted forward. The second prototype had a wider track retractable strut to the fuselage. The instructor and the trainee were located one after the other in a cockpit with a lantern. Armament included two machine guns and up to 100 kg of bombs.
At the end of the same 1949, the Ikarus S.451M multipurpose training aircraft made its maiden flight, which became the first Yugoslav jet aircraft. Although originally designed as an attack aircraft, it was decided to abandon this option in favor of a training one. The first flight of the aircraft took place at the end of 1949. Two French Turbomeca Marbore II 3.92 kN thrust engines were chosen as the propulsion system. There is no data on the number of aircraft produced. Several modifications of the aircraft were produced, differing from each other only in the number of pilots and engine power.
In 1953, the Yugoslav jet baby Ikarus 452M took off. The small airplane had a rather unusual appearance due to the tail unit on short beams, and two Turbomek Palace engines were placed in a thick and kurguz fuselage one above the other. The experience in creating the aircraft was used in the development of the light attack aircraft Galeb.
In 1952 - 53 years. within the framework of the Yugoslav nuclear program, the Ikarus 453 (P-453-MW) bomber was being developed, which was planned to be used as a carrier for the Yugoslav atomic bomb. First of all, Yugoslav engineers tried to find the optimal shape to accommodate two Turbomeca Marbord II jet engines. Initially, only the airframe of the aircraft was made, without the installation of engines. Unfortunately, a very interesting project (also designated GVDI-9 - the abbreviated name of the development site-ninth project) was closed after the first flight in 1952, in which the device was completely destroyed (but the pilot was not injured).
In 1952, the Ikarus 451 twin-engine dive bomber was tested, in which the Yugoslavs decided in an original way to bypass the problem of loss of consciousness among pilots due to overloads during the withdrawal from the dive. They put the pilot on his stomach. The fully all-metal Ikarus 451 was equipped with Walter Minor 6 / III piston motors, and the pilot of this machine was able to withstand a positive overload of 8-9g without an anti-G suit. Despite the fact that the plane was a purely experimental machine, it was armed - in 1186 kg of take-off weight, it was possible to inscribe two 13-mm MG 131 and six pylons for missiles. During the tests, it turned out that the pilot is facing a number of problems. With a horizontal arrangement, exsanguination of the brain does not occur at the exit from the dive, yes - but it is completely impossible to breathe, the chest is tightly compressed. And the pilot's neck becomes numb very quickly in this position - half an hour of flight and you're done. You can't really lean on your hands - they control the plane. The final verdict on the car was delivered by the first anti-G suits. Squeezing the legs and stomachs of the pilots, they saved them from loss of consciousness even at large overloads, so that the need for such exoticism disappeared. On the other hand, the aircraft was distinguished by its small size, low weight, excellent aerodynamics and was ideal for the installation of the Palas turbojet engine. Conversion of the Ikarus 451 aircraft for a jet engine began in the winter of 1951. As a result, a new Ikarus 451M aircraft was built (M - Mlazni, jet). And in 1957, one prototype of the Ikarus 451 was scrapped, and the second ended up in the Aviation Museum in Belgrade.
Ikarus 451 on trials
In the early 50s, Yugoslav designers began work on the creation of a light Kurir auxiliary aircraft commissioned by the Air Force. The design was based on the German multipurpose aircraft Fi-156c Storch. The propulsion system consisted of a 180 hp Lycoming O-435-1 piston engine, some of the aircraft were powered by a Czech Walter Minor engine. The first production aircraft was produced in 1955. A total of 166 aircraft were built (including the version with floats), used in the role of liaison, reconnaissance (observation) and light transport. Several dozen were also transferred to flying clubs.
Light auxiliary aircraft Kurir of the Yugoslav Air Force
Only after Yugoslavia reached an agreement with France on the supply of Mistere IV jet fighters, the United States offered its "jets", thereby frustrating French plans. The first 13 Yugoslav jet pilots were trained at the American Chamonix airbase in France in September 1952, and on March 10, 1953, the first of 25 Lockheed T-33 jets arrived at Batainitsa airfield.
Training aircraft T-33A of the Air Force of Yugoslavia
Following them, soon on June 9, 1953, the first F-84G Thunderjets were overtaken. In total, 219 such aircraft were delivered to the Yugoslav Air Force. The first batch came from the USAF under the MDAP program. The second batch from the middle of 1957 was from the existing composition of the Greek Air Force. Initially, the aircraft were used as interceptor fighters, in this role the F-86E was replaced. Some of the aircraft were converted to RF-84G reconnaissance aircraft. Then the planes were used as training fighters. Removed from service in 1974.
The first helicopters, Sikorsky S-51 (10), entered service with the aviation of Yugoslavia in 1954.
Helicopter Sikorsky S-51 of the Air Force of Yugoslavia in the Belgrade Museum of Aeronautics
Until 1957, another 22 reconnaissance aircraft RT-33 and 43 F-86E were received.
Fighter F-86E Saber Yugoslav Air Force
On the F-86E aircraft, Colonel Nikola Lekic on July 31, 1956 for the first time in the history of Yugoslav aviation in a gentle dive overcame the sound barrier. (the plane of the Yugoslav design, "Orao", first broke the sound barrier in 1984).
Although Yugoslavia received the planes under a free military aid program, they had to pay for spare parts at commercial rates, by no means cheap. The provision of assistance was subject to political conditions, so Yugoslavia abandoned the "free" program, moving to direct purchases of aircraft - 78 F-86E, 130 F-86D and 70 TV-2 were purchased on a commercial basis (TV-2 is an improved version of the T- 33).
Fighter F-86D Saber Yugoslav Air Force
In August 1956, a Yugoslav-made training aircraft Aero 3 made its maiden flight. Thanks to improved relations with the United States, a 190 hp Lycoming O-435-A piston engine was installed on the aircraft. The aircraft entered service with the Yugoslav Air Force in 1957. In training units, it replaced its predecessor Aero 2. The aircraft was in service until the mid-70s. In addition to training flight personnel, it was used as a light communications aircraft, an observation and target designation aircraft, as well as a target towing vehicle.
In February 1955, the training aircraft SOKO-522, with retractable landing gear, made its maiden flight. Unlike the light "Aero-2" and "Aero-3", this was already an almost complete analogue of a combat fighter. SOKO-522 was intended to replace the Ikarus 213 Vihor trainer aircraft. It had a generally identical, albeit all-metal design, but a completely different appearance, as it was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 Wasp radial engine instead of the Ranger SVG-770-CB1 engine. The aircraft began to be operated by the Yugoslav Air Force in 1957. In total, the Yugoslav Air Force received 100 of these aircraft.
Trainer aircraft SOKO-522
From 1957 to 1961 at the Soko plant in Bosnian Mostar, 45 multipurpose Soko S-55 Mk. V helicopters were produced, which were a licensed copy of the English Westland WHIRLWIND, which in turn was a copy of the American Sikorsky S-55 helicopter, with the American PW R-1340-57 engine … It was the first anti-submarine helicopter to carry homing torpedoes. The helicopters served until 1974.
In June 1958, Yugoslavia planned to establish production under the license of the English Folland GNAT fighter. In total, it was planned to release 700 units in various modifications. However, tests of two purchased copies of the machine showed an excessively high cost of both the fighter and its operation, as well as the license. The purchased two copies of the fighter were transferred to the Air Force Training Center and for many years the Yugoslav pilots practiced fighter tactics on them, simulating tactics of maneuverable air combat.
Fighter Folland GNAT Yugoslav Air Force
On April 22, 1959, UTVA-56, a four-seater strut-braced high-wing aircraft powered by a Lycoming GO-435-C2B2 260 hp engine, took off. It served as a prototype for the UTVA-60 aircraft, which used the GO-480-B1A6 270 hp engine. It was built in several versions: the U-60-AT1 four-seat auxiliary aircraft, the U-60-AT2 analogous to it with a dual control system, the U-60-AG agricultural aircraft, the U-60-AM ambulance aircraft, which could accommodate two stretchers and an escort, and also the U-60H floatplane, a variant of the U-60-AT1 aircraft.
In the 1950s, with the development of jet aircraft and missile weapons, anti-aircraft missile systems became the main means of air defense of the territory. However, Yugoslavia, which occupied a neutral, non-aligned position, could not with sufficient certainty count on acquiring imported (Soviet, American or British) models. The alternative was to develop anti-aircraft missiles on their own. Although Yugoslavia did not have significant experience in the field of missile weapons, in the late 1950s it was able to obtain technical assistance from Japan and purchase a batch of Kappa geophysical rockets for research purposes. Based on the Japanese experience, in 1958, the Yugoslav government initiated a program for the development of an air defense system, which received the designation P-25 "Vulcan".
The Vulcan anti-aircraft missile was a two-stage projectile, about 8.1 meters long (including the accelerator) and 350 millimeters in diameter. Fully fueled and loaded, the rocket weighed 1,413 kg. The rocket had cruciform wings in the center of the body, and a tail unit of a similar location, which served to control the rocket in flight.
The rocket was propelled by an RM-1000B liquid-propellant rocket engine with a thrust of about 11.77 kN. Serial models of missiles were supposed to receive a solid-fuel engine, which is more convenient for field deployment, but all experimental launches were carried out with liquid-fuel ones. The rocket was launched from an inclined launch ramp using a launch accelerator. Two variants of the accelerator were developed: one consisting of seven separate solid-propellant engines, and the other of four. The thrust of the boosters exceeded 245 kN. The maximum rocket speed was 2.5 Mach.
The missile guidance on the marching sector was carried out using radio command guidance. The primary detection and tracking of targets was carried out using the Yugoslav-made M61 Fruška Gora radar; the American-made 3M7 radar was used to control the missile in flight. At the terminal site, the rocket was to be guided using an infrared homing head. The entire missile control system was fully automated and did not require operator intervention after launch.
According to calculations, the rocket was supposed to have a range of about 30 km and a ceiling of about 19 km.
The first rocket launch took place in November 1962. Experimental launches revealed problems with the liquid fuel propulsion system, which led to the delay in work.
In parallel with the development of the R-25, the Yugoslav government in 1962 purchased the S-75 "Dvina" air defense system, Soviet production. Possessing the best characteristics, the Soviet missile also surpassed the R-25 in terms of reliability and sophistication of solutions. In this regard, as well as the lack of clear prospects for the program, in 1964 the Yugoslav government decided to complete the R-25 Vulcan program after the manufacture of twelve experimental missiles. The findings from the program were subsequently used by SOKO for subsequent projects.
Currently, the only surviving rocket is on display at the Aviation Museum in Belgrade.
Rocket SAM R-25 "Volcano" in the Belgrade Museum of Aeronautics
In 1959, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces were united; such a union was proposed back in 1922, the idea was implemented many years later in another already Yugoslavia.
After Stalin's death, Soviet leaders also began to look for ways to restore relations with Yugoslavia. Khrushchev was the first to meet with Tito, and in 1957 supplies of Soviet military equipment to Yugoslavia were resumed, which continues to this day …
