The Croatian Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday the arrival of six new Rafale multirole combat aircraft from France.
“The arrival of new combat aircraft is an important step forward towards the modernization and strengthening of the Croatian Air Force in terms of airspace protection and a key factor in preserving Croatia’s security in the future, as well as to strengthen the overall combat power of the Croatian Army”according to a press release published by the ministry.
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“This historic flight between France and Croatia also symbolizes the close cooperation between Croatia and the NATO Alliance with a view to jointly preserving peace, stability and security,” according to the same Source.
The landing of the fighters at the Colonel Marko Zivkovic military airfield near Zagreb took place in the presence of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic, local media report.
“This is a historic moment for Croatia, we have made our dream come true,” said Mr. Plenkovic during a ceremony organized to mark the arrival of planes from Bordeaux airport.
This is the first batch of 12 Rafales ordered for nearly 1.15 billion euros by Croatia in 2021 to replace its old MiG-21 fighters.
The remaining six aircraft will be delivered in 2025, under the terms of the contract signed with the French manufacturer Dassault, which also provides for the delivery of flight simulators to the Croatian Air Force, a training program and a maintenance service that will extend until the fourth quarter of 2026.
With MAP
