The 119th Helicopter Brigade (Serbian: 119. хеликоптерска бригада / ) was a transport aviation unit of Yugoslav and FR Yugoslav Air Force established in 1945 as the 1st Transport Aviation Regiment (Serbo-Croatian: 1. / 1. ваздухопловни транспортни пук).
History
1st Transport Aviation Regiment
The regiment was established in the first half of August 1945, in Zemun, as Yugoslav Air Force main transport air unit. The regiment was under direct command of Yugoslav Air Force HQ. It was equipped with Soviet Lisunov Li-2 and captured Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft and other types.
After the war, the regiment remained at Pleso.
By 1948, the regiment was renamed, like all other units of the Yugoslav Army, becoming the 119th Transport Aviation Regiment.
The commanders of the regiment in this period were Dimitrije Kovijanić, Vladimir Simić and Berislav Supek.
119th Transport Aviation and Support Aviation Regiment
The 119th Transport Aviation Regiment remained at Zemun until 1963, when it has been dislocated to newer Batajnica Air Base. In this period regiment received US-built C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft. First operational helicopters of Yugoslav Air Force were Westland-Sikorsky WS-51 Mk.1B which were attached to new formed 5th Squadron (later designated as 27th Helicopter Squadron) of 119th Regiment located at Pančevo, since 1954. By the middle 1950s Regiment in its organization had five transport squadrons, one helicopter squadron and one liaison squadron.
In 1961 regiment was renamed to 119th Support Aviation Regiment (Serbo-Croatian: 119. / 119. пук помоћне авијације). Same year due to the application of the "Drvar" reorganization for the Air Force, new type designation system is used to identify squadrons, so the squadrons of 119th Regiment have become 675th, 676th, 677th, 678th and 679th Transport Aviation Squadron, 783rd Helicopter Squadron and 890th Liaison Aviation Squadron.
It was reorganized by late 1961, when three of its squadrons were reassigned to form new Regiments of Support Aviation Regiments – 677th Squadron formed 81st Regiment, 678th first was at first independent but later in 1964 it has formed 97th Regiment and 679th Squadron formed 111th Regiment.
The 119th Support Aviation Regiment was disbanded in 1966. It's 676th Transport Aviation Squadron was also disbanded, 675th Transport Aviation Squadron was reassigned to 138th Transport Aviation Regiment, 783rd Helicopter Squadron become part of 107th Support Aviation Regiment while 890th Liaison Aviation Squadron remain as independent under Yugoslav Air Force Command.
The commanders of the regiment in this period were Nikola Rodić, Dimitrije Kovačević, Mido Rakočević, Nikola Đurđević and Matija Macut.
Re-establishment of the 119th Regiment
The 119th Transport Helicopter Regiment was formed by order from December 10, 1967, on May 2, 1968, at Niš military airport. It was a completely new unit formed from two new helicopter squadrons – 787th and 789th Transport Helicopter Squadron. It continued the tradition of former 1st Transport Aviation Regiment and 119th Transport Aviation Regiment. Its two squadrons were equipped with new Soviet-made Mil Mi-8T transport helicopters, being the first unit of Yugoslav Air Force equipped with this type.
In 1973 it was renamed to 119th Support Aviation Regiment and the 677th Transport Aviation Squadron equipped with C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft was moved from the 107th Support Aviation Regiment to 119th Regiment. US-made Skytrains were replaced by 1976 with Soviet-made Antonov An-26 and Polish-build Antonov An-2 transport aircraft. Regiment was again renamed in 1978 to 119th Transport Aviation Regiment. By the early 1980s Yugoslav Air Force has modernized its helicopter fleet with French-licensed domestic made helicopters SOKO Gazelle helicopters. In 1981 712nd Anti-Armored Helicopter Squadron was formed armed with new Gazelle helicopters equipped for anti-armored fighting. Due to the organizational changes, Regiment has become 119th Aviation Brigade (Serbo-Croatian: 119. avijacijska brigada / 119. авијацијска бригада).
In 1988 another one squadron of Gazelle helicopters, 714th has been formed at Kraljevo-Lađevci Airport as part of brigade. The 789th Transport Helicopter Squadron was disbanded in 1990 and its personnel and equipment were assigned to 787th Squadron, being from then the only squadron of brigade equipped with Mi-8T helicopters.