Wings of the Storm is an acrobatic group of the Croatian Air Force (HRZ) whose task is to present skills, discipline, teamwork and a high level of training of members of the Croatian Air Force and the Croatian Armed Forces. The acrobatic group Wings of the Storm was officially presented to the public on 5 August 2005 in Knin to mark the 10th anniversary of the military and police operation “Storm” after which the group was named. Since then, it has recorded more than 200 official public appearances in the Republic of Croatia and abroad. The group presented its program at the most prestigious aviation events in a number of European countries including: Romania, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France. At numerous domestic and international aviation meetings, the performances of Wings of the Storm were followed by millions of viewers and fans of acrobatic flying. Due to the complexity of the flight program’s elements, Wings of the Storm has found itself at the highest position in the field of acrobatic flying, and for their performances they have won numerous awards and recognitions.
Wings of the Storm operate as part of the 392nd squadron of planes of the 93rd wing of the Air Force at the “Colonel Mirko Vukušić” Barracks in Zemunik. The pilots of the Wings of the Storm fly on board the Pilatus PC-9M. During the program, planes fly at a distance of less than three meters from each other at speeds up to 550 km/h, and the load that pilots endure during individual elements ranges from -2.5 g to +6.5 g. As part of the program at military events and anniversaries, Wings of the Storm performs a specific maneuver – the Missing Man flyby. This is the traditional way of paying tribute in the world of aviation, and it is carried out in such a way that one of the planes during the maneuver stands out from the main formation, paying tribute to all the missing and dead Croatian soldiers.
Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia
