The Aviation History of Yugoslavia: Mostar’s Role in War and Industry

• Autorzy: Dedic Remzo , Goraj Zdobysław

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.2478/tar-2025-0004

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This review paper traces the history of the development of Yugoslav aviation with a particular focus on Mostar, a key center of aircraft production and military aviation research. From the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918 to the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, aviation played a critical role in national defense and technological advancement. During World War II, the Yugoslav Royal Air Force faced overwhelming challenges, while partisan aviation efforts laid the foundation for a post-war military air force. The rapid industrialization of the socialist era led to the rise of the SOKO aircraft factory in Mostar, which - through a productive synergy that emerged between industrial and academic centers - became the cornerstone of Yugoslav aerospace production, manufacturing military aircraft and helicopters, and developing ambitious projects such as the Novi Avion supersonic fighter. However, the breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent conflicts led to the collapse of the aviation industry in Mostar, with its infrastructure largely destroyed or abandoned. In the decades that followed, successor states turned to foreign aircraft procurement, while Mostar’s aviation legacy faded into history. This study examines the wartime and post-war evolution of Yugoslav aviation, the pivotal role of Mostar in aircraft production, and the ultimate decline of the country’s aerospace ambitions. It also pays homage to the many professors, assistants and engineers who participated in the discussed projects.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Yugoslav aviation; SOKO aircraft factory; Mostar aviation industry; military aircraft

• Wydawca: Wydawnictwa Naukowe Sieci Badawczej Łukasiewicz - Instytutu Lotnictwa
• Czasopismo: Transactions on Aerospace Research
• Rocznik: 2025
• Tom: Nr 1 (278)
• Strony: 71--84
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 7 poz., fot., tab.

Twórcy

autor

Dedic Remzo

• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar, Sjeverni logor, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9058-8025

autor

Goraj Zdobysław

• Institute of Aeronautics and Applied Mechanics, Warsaw University of Technology, 24 Nowowiejska St., 00-665 Warsaw, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1294-8013

Bibliografia

• [1] Grujić Z. Aviation of Serbia and Yugoslavia 1901-1994. Belgrade: Military Book; 1997.
• [2] Warriors of the Sky. Belgrade: IRO Vuk Karadžić, Official Gazette of the SFRY; 1989.
• [3] Military Encyclopedia. Belgrade: Military Publishing House; 1970.
• [4] Filipović M. Royal Planes. Kraljevo; 1995.
• [5] Rendulić Z. Aircraft of Domestic Construction After the Second World War. Belgrade; 1996.
• [6] Dimitrijević B. Yugoslav Air Force 1942-1992. 2006.
• [7] Davor M. The Collapse of Tito's Army: The JNA and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia 1987-1992. Zagreb: Golden Marketing - Technical Book; 2008.