TSAMTO, November 26. On November 25, in Zagreb, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Croatian Prime Minister Andrei Plenkovic, a ceremony was held to sign two contracts for the supply of 12 Rafale fighters to the Croatian Air Force and the provision of logistical support.
According to the French company Dassault Aviation, the documents were signed by the Minister of the Armed Forces of France Florence Parly, the head and chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation Eric Trapier and the Minister of Defense of Croatia Mario Banojic.
The interstate contract provides for the supply of 12 Rafale fighters from the French Air Force, along with related equipment, as well as the provision of training services for Croatian Air Force personnel.
The logistics support contract includes all maintenance resources over a three-year period, including the supply of additional aircraft parts.
As reported by TSAMTO, the Croatian government made the decision to purchase Rafale multi-purpose fighters from the French Air Force at its meeting on May 28, 2021, recognizing the French proposal as the best one submitted for tender. The aircraft will replace the MiG-21BISD/UMD in service, whose service life expires in 2024.
As reported, the contract concluded under an intergovernmental agreement will include the purchase of 12 Rafale F3-R fighters (10 single and 2 double) from the French Air Force. The French offer also included the supply of a simulator, a basic set of weapons, ground and test equipment, the provision of related support services and training of personnel, a 12-month warranty for each aircraft, engine, and other equipment. The value of the package proposed by France is 999 million euros ($1.2 billion), which will be paid by the end of 2025. There is no data yet on how much Croatia should invest in the new infrastructure necessary for the use of aircraft.
According to Croatian media, the service life of the "oldest" of the French aircraft proposed by Croatia is 10 years, and their remaining life will be from 3,800 to 7,000 flight hours with the possibility of extending the service life to 9,000 flight hours. It is assumed that France will deliver the first six aircraft in 2024, and the remaining six a year later.
Croatia became a customer of Dassault Aviation aircraft for the first time. It will also become the fifth export buyer of the Rafale fighter. Previously, the aircraft were sold to the Air Forces of India, Egypt, Qatar and Greece.
