Croatia urgently purchases Rafale and F-16 after Serbia acquires MiG-29
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said that tomorrow it will become clear which fighter aircraft his country will purchase from the West.
Croatian media reported this, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“I expect a decision tomorrow,” Milanovic told reporters during a visit to Bjelovar. “Obviously, it is timed to coincide with Armed Forces Day and the second round of elections.”
It is up to the Croatian government to decide which combat aircraft to purchase for the local air force. It is reported that the choice has so far settled on American F-16s and French Rafale vehicles. In both cases we are talking about used aircraft.
At the same time, Croatian media are inclined to believe that the choice will be made in favor of French technology. Previously, Zagreb planned to purchase Israeli F-16 Barak, but the United States sharply opposed this deal, demanding that the aircraft produced there be “cleansed” of Israeli improvements.
Previously, Croatia planned to modernize the Soviet MiG-21s in its service in Ukraine, but the Ukrainian partners simply ruined this process.
The procurement of combat aircraft for the Croatian Air Force was spurred by the recent delivery of MiG-29 fighters to Serbia, donated to Belgrade by Belarus. In 2017, as a fraternal gesture, Serbia also received six MiG-29 fighters from Russia.
After the arrival of two aircraft from Belarus, Serbia was able to fully equip the squadron, consisting of 14 MiG-29 fighters. At the same time, 11 winged aircraft will be brought to the level of the MiG-29SM, that is, they will become multi-role fighters, and three two-seat aircraft will become fighters.
All this provoked wild jealousy and military paranoia in neighboring Croatia, a NATO member. According to the Alliance's plans, there are no plans to create a strong air force in this country, transferring the skies over the Western Balkans to the control of the French and Italian air forces.
Croatia Urgently Buys Rafale and F-16s After Serbia Acquires MiG-29s