The government of North Macedonia has officially approved the transfer of a certain number of combat helicopters to Ukraine.
The local publication Fokus reports that earlier the Minister of Defense Slavyanka Petrovska spoke about the transfer of 12 attack Mi-24 to Ukraine, although the type of helicopters was not specified in the decision.
Skopje purchased these Mi-24s from Kyiv in 2001. Some of them were upgraded to the Mi-24B in cooperation with the Israeli company Elbit Systems for interaction with NATO forces. The Mi-24B is equipped with avionics that allows the use of night vision systems, and is considered a kind of mixture of an attack aircraft and an infantry fighting vehicle. These helicopters are heavily armed and protected by armor. They were nicknamed "crocodiles" in the armies.
The Mi-24B is one of the fastest attack helicopters in the world. In flight, the machine with full ammunition develops a speed of up to 335 kmph. The helicopter is designed for the transfer of fighters and fire support of ground forces on the battlefield.
- In August 2022, North Macedonia transferred four Su-25 attack aircraft to Ukraine, which it had purchased from Ukraine in 2001.