Croatia welcomes first six Rafale jets
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| First six Rafale combat aircraft arrive in Croatia. |
The first six Rafales operated by the Croatian Air Force were welcomed at the Zagreb operational base by the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović, the Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and the Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić on 25 april 2024.
Coming from the Dassault Aviation site in Mérignac, these six Rafales will join the 191 Squadron of the Croatian Air Force. The aircraft (four single-seat and two double-seat) flew in two formations of three aircraft each and entered Croatian airspace at noon. All Rafales were flown by Croatian Air Force pilots. The flight from Bordeaux to Zagreb took approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. Once landed, the aircraft received a welcome shower as is done when a nation receives its first aircraft. The next Rafales will arrive from the end of 2024, to form a complete squadron by mid-2025. Zagreb purchased a total of 12 former French Air and Space Force Rafales in November 2021.
“The mastery with which the Croatian Air Force carried out this first ferry testifies to the excellence of its pilots and personnel, and brilliantly illustrates the quality of Croatia’s cooperation with France. Dassault Aviation is fully committed to completing the full integration and logistic support of the Rafale into the Croatian Air Force, which will contribute to ensuring Croatia’s sovereignty and enable it to successfully carry out its operational missions within NATO”, declared Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
Coming from the Dassault Aviation site in Mérignac, these six Rafales will join the 191 Squadron of the Croatian Air Force. The aircraft (four single-seat and two double-seat) flew in two formations of three aircraft each and entered Croatian airspace at noon. All Rafales were flown by Croatian Air Force pilots. The flight from Bordeaux to Zagreb took approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. Once landed, the aircraft received a welcome shower as is done when a nation receives its first aircraft. The next Rafales will arrive from the end of 2024, to form a complete squadron by mid-2025. Zagreb purchased a total of 12 former French Air and Space Force Rafales in November 2021.
“The mastery with which the Croatian Air Force carried out this first ferry testifies to the excellence of its pilots and personnel, and brilliantly illustrates the quality of Croatia’s cooperation with France. Dassault Aviation is fully committed to completing the full integration and logistic support of the Rafale into the Croatian Air Force, which will contribute to ensuring Croatia’s sovereignty and enable it to successfully carry out its operational missions within NATO”, declared Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
Source: Dassault Aviation
Images: Croatian MoD
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