Two Black Hawk UH-60M helicopters, donated by the the US government to Croatia, were presented to the public at the Pleso air base near Zagreb on Friday.

The aircraft are expected to be in service as of 2020 or 2021. The donation, worth $53 million, included two latest generation helicopters, equipment delivery, and pilot and technical staff training.

Croatian Defence Minister, Damir Krsticevic, thanked the US for the donation, and said that a training centre for NATO helicopter pilots was planned to be opened in the town of Zemunik.

“This is an investment in Croatia’s security by a partner and a friend,” he said, and added that the Black Hawks would gradually replace the existing Eastern Bloc-made aircraft in use by the Croatian military.

US Ambassador to Croatia, Robert Kohorst, said today was a “historic day” in US-Croatian partnership.

“Twenty years ago, peace forces came to Croatia, and today it is a member of the European Union and NATO,” he added.

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