BOSNIAN FEDERATION AIR FORCE GETS EIGHT AMERICAN HELICOPTERS

SARAJEVO, Feb 20 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's Croat-Moslem Federation on Saturday received eight helicopters of the "Iroquois" type. They were given a part of the U.S. Administration donation to the Bosnian Federal Army, ensured through the U.S.-sponsored programme "Equip and Train". American crews dispatched the helicopters to the air base of Rajlovac, outside Sarajevo, and now the Federal Air Force possesses 15 such aircraft. These helicopters, called also UH-1H, are light transport aircraft, which became known during the Vietnam war. The Washington Administration has ensured all 15 helicopters for the Federation's armed forces in order to help improve the manoeuvring abilities of the military of this Bosnian entity. At Saturday's ceremony, the Federation's Air Force Commander General Salko Begic said crews that would fly aboard helicopters had already been trained for this job. He said the federal Air Force has four bases - Rajlovac, Mostar, Bihac and Tuzla - but the American side insisted that all these helicopters be stationed in Rajlovac which has all necessary equipment for the maintenance of the this kind of aircraft. Begic announced that the Federation was planning to provide ground- attack helicopters and combat planes for the its army. They would be supplied when donors were found and when the Federation could earmark enough money for this purpose, he added. According to an agreement on the sub-regional arms control, the Bosnian Federation is allowed to possess 41 combat planes and 14 ground-attack helicopters, but for the time being it has neither of them. On the other hand, the other entity in Bosnia, the Serb Republic, has already managed to ensure a total of 21 combat planes and seven ground-attack helicopters, to which it has the right under the treaty. The agreement provides for 62 combat planes and 21 ground-attack helicopters in Croatia, and 155 such planes and 53 such helicopters in Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro). (hina) ms