A detachment of four IAR-330 helicopters—configured for transport, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation—has completed its operational training at the 95th Air Base “Hero Captain Aviator Alexandru Șerbănescu” in Bacău and is now prepared to begin its second rotation in the EUFOR ALTHEA mission, operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Starting in May 2025, Romanian troops will carry out aerial support, medical evacuation, and personnel recovery missions amid an increasingly fragile geopolitical climate. Training in recent months has focused on complex Personnel Recovery (PR) operations, with an emphasis on emergency medical assistance and evacuations under high-risk conditions, executed in line with the latest NATO tactics and procedures. Members of the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) unit also conducted tactical cargo-firing exercises, testing their readiness in joint scenarios designed to mirror the realities of a tense operational theatre.
A key milestone in their preparation was participation in the international Personnel Recovery Week 25, organized by the Italian Air Force at Gioia Del Colle Air Base in Bari. Romanian crews took part in simulated CSAR missions under hostile battlefield-like conditions, alongside other NATO partners. The exercise significantly boosted interoperability and cohesion among multinational units engaged in peacekeeping missions.
Deployment Begins Amid Political Crisis in Bosnia
The Romanian detachment’s second rotation comes at a highly sensitive moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Republika Srpska, the autonomous Serb entity within the country, is reportedly on the verge of a unilateral declaration of secession, threatening to destabilize Bosnia’s constitutional order. Tensions have escalated following the central government’s sentencing of Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, for refusing to recognize the authority of EU envoy Christian Schmidt in Sarajevo.
This move sparked strong backlash from Serb leaders in the region, who accused foreign actors of interfering in the internal affairs of the entity and issued renewed threats of formal separation from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
