Croatia purchases eight UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters

In a statement the Croatian Ministry of Defense said that under the deal, the US government will cover 51% of the contract’s value, while the remainder is to be covered by Croatia in the years 2025–27. Zagreb will spend more than US$273.8 million in total on the acquisition, according to Defense News, and all eight deliveries of the aircraft are expected to be completed by 2028.

“This is a big and important moment for the [Croatian] armed forces, and for the whole of Croatia,” Ivan Anušić, Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, was reported as saying. “I will continue to deepen the ties and cooperation with the United States of America, and I hope that we will cooperate on a number of other large projects.”

This contract means the Croatian military will be able to bring its Black Hawk fleet to a total of 12 twin-engine, medium-lift rotorcraft.

In January 2024, the US State Department approved a foreign military sale of rotorcraft and related gear and services to Croatia for an estimated cost of $500 million, Defense News also noted. According to data from the Croatian Defense Ministry, this year Zagreb plans to spend around €1.17 billion ($1.28 billion) on defense, an increase of about 11% compared with 2023.

In October, Croatia’s Minister of Health, Vili Beroš, announced that the country is “within reach of the establishment of an emergency helicopter medical service”.