Croatia decides to buy French Rafale fighters to replace its Russian MiG-21s
In the not-too-distant past, Croatia considered acquiring 12 secondhand Israeli F-16 'Barak' fighters, but the deal fell through. Prime Minister Plenkovic tweeted that the French planes were chosen because the price was excellent
Dan Arkin
| 31/05/2021
A Rafale fighter. Photo from the Dassault Aviation website
Croatia is transitioning from Russian fighter planes to Western ones. The government announced that the Croatian Air Force's next fighter will be the Rafale made by Dassault Aviation, and that it will replace the Russian Mig-21.
In the not-too-distant past, Croatia considered acquiring 12 secondhand Israeli F-16 '"Barak" fighters, but the deal fell through. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic tweeted that the French planes were chosen because the price was excellent, and that Croatia will receive the advanced F3R configuration and thus will have the most advanced fighters in that part of the world.
Reuters reported that the deal for the Rafale fighters is worth $1.22 billion. The choice of the French planes came after Croatia was offered American F-16s, Swedish Gripens, Italian Eurofighter Typhoons and used F16s from Norway, Greece and Israel.
The Drive website reported that the deal for 12 secondhand Israeli F16s, valued at about $500 million, was cancelled in 2019 after the U.S. Congress refused to approve the transfer of the planes from Israel to Croatia. The Americans demanded the removal of various systems from the planes, but it was not feasible because the planes were full of Israeli avionics and weapons systems.
The Croatian Air Force will now transition from second-generation fighters armed with short-range air-to-air missiles to fourth-generation fighters equipped with advanced radar, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, precision attack capabilities and additional advantages.
In the not-too-distant past, Croatia considered acquiring 12 secondhand Israeli F-16 'Barak' fighters, but the deal fell through. Prime Minister Plenkovic tweeted that the French planes were chosen because the price was excellent
A Rafale fighter. Photo from the Dassault Aviation website
Croatia is transitioning from Russian fighter planes to Western ones. The government announced that the Croatian Air Force's next fighter will be the Rafale made by Dassault Aviation, and that it will replace the Russian Mig-21.
In the not-too-distant past, Croatia considered acquiring 12 secondhand Israeli F-16 '"Barak" fighters, but the deal fell through. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic tweeted that the French planes were chosen because the price was excellent, and that Croatia will receive the advanced F3R configuration and thus will have the most advanced fighters in that part of the world.
Reuters reported that the deal for the Rafale fighters is worth $1.22 billion. The choice of the French planes came after Croatia was offered American F-16s, Swedish Gripens, Italian Eurofighter Typhoons and used F16s from Norway, Greece and Israel.
The Drive website reported that the deal for 12 secondhand Israeli F16s, valued at about $500 million, was cancelled in 2019 after the U.S. Congress refused to approve the transfer of the planes from Israel to Croatia. The Americans demanded the removal of various systems from the planes, but it was not feasible because the planes were full of Israeli avionics and weapons systems.
The Croatian Air Force will now transition from second-generation fighters armed with short-range air-to-air missiles to fourth-generation fighters equipped with advanced radar, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, precision attack capabilities and additional advantages.
