After selecting Dassault's Rafale F3-R as the winner of its Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft programme, the Croatian government officially signed an acquisition agreement on November 25. Valued at €999m, French Minister for the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, hailed the deal as "a strong act for defence in Europe." Croatia announced on May 28 that it would purchase 12 second-hand Rafale F3-Rs from France to replace the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence's ageing fleet of eight Soviet-era Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis-D/UMD Fishbeds. The Rafale will be sourced from the French Air and Space Force, before being upgraded to F3-R standard and handed over to Croatia. Parly added that these airframes will "be replaced by new planes, which will be ordered from 2023." The first six Rafales are scheduled to be delivered in 2024, followed by the remaining six airframes in 2025.
展开▼
