Croatia Announces First Deployment of French Rafale F3R Fighter Jets.

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, Dassault Aviation announced that the first six Rafale F3R fighter jets, part of a total purchase of twelve units, landed at an airbase near Zagreb. This delivery fulfills a contract signed in 2021 with Dassault Aviation, valued at over one billion euros, which includes not only the aircraft but also armament systems, spare parts, and logistical and training services.
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French Rafale F3R Fighter Jets delivered to Croatia (Picture source: Dassault Aviation)

This acquisition allows the Croatian Air Force to begin replacing its Soviet-designed MiG-21 aircraft, marking significant progress in modernizing its defense capabilities. The remaining six Rafales are scheduled for delivery in 2025. On October 2, 2023, the Croatian Air Force officially took possession of its first Rafale F3R fighter jet during a ceremony at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base in France.

The arrival of the additional 5 jets was celebrated during an official ceremony, with notable attendance by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić. The event was described as a "historic moment" by the Croatian Prime Minister.

Operated by Croatian pilots trained in France, the Rafales are now assigned to the 191st squadron at the 91 operational base. The next delivery is scheduled for the end of 2024 to complete the squadron deployment by mid-2025. Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, highlighted the fruitful cooperation between France and Croatia and reiterated his company's commitment to fully assist the integration of the Rafales into the Croatian military, thus contributing to the country's sovereignty and operational capacity within NATO.

The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed for a variety of missions including air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike, and nuclear deterrence. The Rafale F3R variant is equipped with the Thales TALIOS laser designation pod, which allows for day and night bombing up to 70 km away. It can also carry the Meteor air-to-air missile and features an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS). The aircraft has a minimum landing speed of 115 knots and can fly as slow as 15 knots during training missions.

According to insights from the DGA's strategy director, the F3R's scalability is expected to ensure that it remains at the forefront of technological advancement until 2050.

According to the Military Balance 2022, the Croatian Air Force has several types of aircraft for different missions. It operates eight MiG-21 fighter jets, divided equally between four MiG-21bis and four MiG-21UMD Fishbed, used for combat and ground attack operations, which the Rafale F3Rs are replacing. For pilot training, the Air Force utilizes 17 Pilatus PC-9M and 4 Zlin Z-242L aircraft, suitable for advanced training. Additionally, it has two An-32 Cline light transport aircraft, which are currently kept in reserve.

We may wonder whether the arrival of French Rafale F3R fighter jets in Croatia will lead to considering the transfer of Croatian MiG-21s to Ukraine.