12 Aircraft and Logistics Support for Three-Year Period
Croatian Minister of Defense, Mario Banozic, signed two contracts in Zagreb on 25 November for the acquisition of 12 RAFALE combat aircraft and associated logistics support.
One contract covers the transfer of 12 RAFALEs from the French Air Force, complete with their equipment, as well as a training service for the Croatian Air Force. The logistics support contract covers all support resources, including additional spare parts, over a three-year period.
Selection of the RAFALE was announced on 28 May, after an international tender involving European and American aircraft, reflecting the aircraft’s its technological and operational superiority, says manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Commenting after the acquisition ceremony, Dassault Chairman and CEO, Eric Trappier, suggested he felt as if he was “writing a new page for the RAFALE, which I am certain will give the Croatian Air Force complete satisfaction, while actively contributing to the exercise of Croatia’s national sovereignty.”