Active 1964–1992 Branch Yugoslav Air Force Size 5 regiments | Country Yugoslavia Type Corps HQ Zagreb | |
The 5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense (Serbo-Croatian: 5. korpus ratnog vazduhoplovstva i protivvazdušne odbrane/ 5. корпус ратног ваздухопловства и противваздушне одбране) was an joint unit of Yugoslav Air Force established in 1964 as 5th Aviation Corps (Serbo-Croatian: 5. vazduhoplovni korpus / 5. ваздухопловни корпус).
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5th Aviation Corps
The 5th Aviation Corps was formed by order from May 8, 1964 due the "Drvar 2" reorganization plan of Yugoslav Air Force. It was created by transformation of 5th Air Command and its consolidation with units from 9th Air Command. It consisted all aviation units from western part of Yugoslavia at military airports Pleso, Lučko, Cerklje, Bihać, Pula and Zemunik.
By order from February, 1986, it was renamed in to 5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense.
In this period commanders of 5th Aviation Corps were Viktor Bubanj, Enver Čemalović, Radoje Ljubičić, Slobodan Alagić, Anton Tus, Čedomir Kovačević, Nikola Benić and Đorđije Zvicer.
5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense
The 5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense was forme in February 1986, by order to organize three corps of Air Force and Air Defense. The corps area of responsibility was of northwest Yugoslavia.
Units of 5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense have participated in combat operations since end of June 1991. During the combats, in September 1991 command of corps has been dislocated to Bihać Air Base. Due the withdrawal of Yugoslav People's Army units from hostile territory of Slovenia and Croatia, the aeria of responsibility has been reduced and some military airports, baracks and bases have been abandoned.
The units of 5th Corps have been intensively engaged in combat due they were located at the territory affected by wars in Slovenia, Croatia and later in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is notable that units of 5th Corps had only Yugoslav Air Force air-to-air victory and that four pilots of Croatian nationality have defected with their MiG-21 fighters.
There was plan to reorganized corps in to 2nd Corps of Air Force and Air Defense from units that have been withdrawn to territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina and but that plan was never realized.
By May 12, 1992 the 5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense has been disbanded. It was planned to withdrawn all units and equipment from territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia and Montenegro. Some units made most from Bosnian Serbs refused that order forming the new Republika Srpska Air Force.
In this period commanders of 5th Corps of Air Force and Air Defense were Zvonko Jurjević, Živan Mirčetić, Marjan Rožić and Ljubomir Bajić.