93 Air Base marks 25th anniversary

The ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence Brigadier General Miroslav Kovač as the Envoy of the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Force, the Commander of the 93rd Air Base Colonel Karol Lučan, the members of the units stationed in the Barracks.
The programme of the marking was commenced with a mass for the fallen and deceased members of the Base served in the church in Sukošan, by the Military Ordinary of Croatia, Mons. Jure Bogdan, and with wreathe laying at the Memorial Cross at the local cemetery (Sukošan-Debeljak); it was also an occasion to mark the 24th tragical death of six members of the unit in March 1993, defending the line of advance seized in the Operation “Maslenica“.
 
The main ceremony and line-up of the units of the Base were held in the Barracks (the apron). The  Commander of the Base, Colonel Karol Lučan recalled its history, through wartime and expressed  gratitude to all fallen defenders for their sacrifice. The Commander singled out a few important events from the history of the Base since the liberation of the Barracks in Zemunik in the Operation “Maslenica“ 25 years ago – primarily the inception of the education of Croatian military pilots and the development of the training system in accordance with the world’s top training standards. Colonel underlined the procurement of western-produced modern aircraftwith the state-of-the art equipment and the importance of the support provided to the civilian community and the institutions in aerial firefighting, emergency medical flight and search-and-rescue interventions.

Col. Lučan commended the “Wings of Storm“ Aerobatic Group, which in 2016 won the most prestigious prize at a in international air show in the United Kingdom, and especially praised the air technicians at all levels of maintenance for the continous efforts invested and the support to the Group.
“Our future tasks will provide a new momentum in the development of the 93rd Air Base, either through new training processes and equipment and investment into the infrastructure to enable the Base grow into a unit of excellency across all segments“, concluded Colonel Lučan.
The Commander of the Croatian Air Force Brigadier General Miroslav Kovač forwarded the congratulations from the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces as his Envoy, who stressed that the 93rd Base and its units were a backbone of the future for the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence.  The number of trained pilots and air technicians as well as of visiting students who recognised the professionalism and quality of the Croatian instructors, grows each year. It is the best indicator that the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence has acquired the resources necessary for the training of the future members ensuring also its  future capabilities“, said Brig. Gen. Kovač.
The programme was complemented with a performance of the Folklore Ensemble “Linđo“  in the Croatian National Theatre in Zadar and a flying programme of the “Wings of Storm“ Aerobatic Group  over the waterfront  in Zadar, introducing the performance of the visiting aerobatic group – the famous “Frecce Tricolori“ of the Italian Air Force on 23 March 2017.