The “Pilatus” Aircraft Equipment Presented
The Aircraft Squadron of the 93rd Croatian Air Force and Air Defence Base at the „Zemunik“ Barracks hosted on Monday 8 July 2013 a presentation by the Slovenia-based company „PERIGON“ on the possibilities of choice of optimal equipment and adjustment of the air platform of the PC “Pilatus” aircraft.
It was conducted within the framework of equipping of the „Pilatus“ Swiss-made aircraft, introduced into the use by the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence in 1996 (the PC-9 make) and in 1997 (the PC-9M make) respectively. Its is primarily used for training of Croatian military pilots, but is also used for the purpose of air support to the Coast Guard, as well as for support to training and exercises of other units of the Croatian Armed Forces, to include the aerobatics group “Wings of Storm”.
The equipment presented includes the possibility of real-time transmission of video from the air to the command operations centres to support timely and quality decision-making related to the control of sea borders. The presentation also included live imagery taken above the Zemunik Barracks with the aid of the equipment built in in the TECNAM MMA. The PERIGON representative, Marko Fakin stressed three areas of possible application of the equipment in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia – forward air controllers, border control and precise firesite location and search of the missing persons, and added that all installations were compatible with the NATO-used systems.
The presentation was attended by the Croatian Ministry of the Interior, Ranko Ostojić, Director of the National Search and Rescue Directorate, Jadran Perinić, Chief Firearms Officer, Slavko Tucaković, Croatian Air Force and Air Defence Commander, Brig.Gen. Dražen Šćuri, Commander of the 93rd Air Force and Air Defence Base, Lt.Col. Karol Lučan, the representatives of the Equipping and Modernisation Service of the Ministry of Defence, and the representatives of other units of the Armed Forces and of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia.
Stressing the importance of the presentation, Minister Ostojić welcomed the familiarisation of the representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, of the National Search and Rescue Directorate and the Coast Guard with the new approach to the use of the existing technical capacities, envisaging a joint approach, sharing the common resources and reaching joint solutions related to the aircraft equipment.