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Croatia officially receives first Dassault Rafale fighter jet

3rd October 2023 - 14:00 GMT | by Norbert Neumann in London

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Croatia announced the Rafale as the winner of the fighter aircraft procurement programme in May 2021. (Photo: Croatian Air Force/French Air Force)

The official handover of the first Dassault Rafale B jet is a key development in a deal involving 12 aircraft for Croatia. This marks the start of a transition from Croatia's Soviet-era MiG-21 fighters and legacy aircraft.

The Croatian Air Force has officially received its first second-hand Dassault Rafale B jet at Base Aérienne (BA) 118 Mont-de-Marsan in the south-west of France, the service announced on 2 October.

A dual-seater Rafale B was spotted earlier in September landing at the air base, but this was the first official ceremony for the French-made fighters.

Until the arrival of the French jet, Croatia has been operating a dozen Soviet-era MiG-21 multirole fighters, 14 Pilatus C-9 turboprop training aircraft and four Zlin Z 42 single-engine Czechoslovakian trainers.

Zagreb announced the winner of the MiG-21 fighter replacement programme in May

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