After a process of selection and evaluation of several aircraft - notably the American F-16 Viper from Lockheed Martin - Croatia chose the French Rafale to modernize its combat aviation fleet.
The announcement was made official by the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
France will deliver 12 recent second-hand Rafale to the Croatian forces.
“
This choice will considerably strengthen the strategic partnership between France and Croatia.
It is fully in line with the effort to develop a strong and ambitious defense Europe
”, declared Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, welcoming this decision.
"
This success is also the translation of the operational credibility of the Air Force and Space
", adds the Minister.
The Rafale has in fact been a “combat proven” for years, particularly in the context of the fight against terrorism and the Islamic State in the Levant.
Global strategic cooperation
"
All the offers were evaluated in a thorough and precise manner in three areas: the strategic area, the capacity area and the financial area
", underlined, a few days ago, the Croatian Prime Minister, at the end of a council. defense. “In
addition to planes in perfect condition and with exceptional performance - according to some military analysts, the Rafale was the best of all the devices offered - the offer also includes a comprehensive long-term strategic cooperation between Croatia and France
”, emphasizes the Croatian press, in particular
Slobodna Dalmacija
, citing government sources.
The purchase of the Rafale is a strong political act which shows Croatia's will to play the European card and to anchor itself in the defense system of the old continent.
2ND CUSTOMER IN EUROPE
This new international success for the Rafale also marks a first for Dassault Aviation *, its manufacturer.
Croatia is equipped with Russian fighter planes and has never acquired French and even Western planes.
It is moreover to replace its Russian fighters, MiG-21Bis / UM, out of breath that it commands the Rafale.
Croatia is also the second European country, after Greece last fall, to command the French fighter plane and to join the club of “Rafale countries”.
And, for the first time, Dassault Aviation has a brand new customer who had not previously acquired Mirage 2000s.
* The Dassault Group owns the
Figaro.
