The Croatian Air Force, in a momentous achievement, welcomed the first group of six multirole Rafale fighter aircraft on April 25 at the airbase “Colonel Marko Živković” near Zagreb. This significant event marks a historical milestone and underscores Croatia’s unwavering commitment to modernizing its defense capabilities.
Croatian pilots, operating two two-seater Rafale aircraft and four single-seater aircraft, departed from the French base in Bordeaux and entered Croatian airspace in about an hour and ten minutes.
The French Rafale was delivered to Croatia 29 months after the contract was signed and 35 months after the selection of the new Croatian multirole fighter. Concurrently, fifteen months have elapsed since pilot training commenced, and seventeen months have passed since technical personnel training was completed. Richard Lavaud, a representative of Dassault Aviation, said at the occasion that approximately sixty Croatian pilots received training on Rafales.
This is an unprecedented occasion for Croatia, as well as Serbia, another nation interested in Rafale. Croatia and Serbia are the only two former Yugoslav states capable of independently defending their airspace, while other former Yugoslav nations depend on NATO member states to protect their airspace.
With the transition from outdated MiG-21s to the advanced Rafale combat aircraft, the Croatian Air Force is not just bolstering its own airspace defense. It is also assuming a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the skies over neighboring countries. This strategic move significantly enhances Croatia’s geopolitical position, as the reach of the Croatian Rafale extends easily to Albania or North Macedonia, thereby reinforcing regional security.
To accommodate the Rafale, a new infrastructure has been established at the “Colonel Marko Živković” base. Also being installed at the base is a full-flight simulator. An additional six Rafale aircraft are anticipated to be delivered by the end of the current year, and the completion of preliminary operational capabilities is scheduled for the end of 2025. Croatia allocated 1.13 billion EUR from the state budget towards acquiring Rafale aircraft from 2021 to 2026. Additionally, military collaborations and coordinated air force drills were added to the deal between Croatia and France.
The overall display is further accentuated when one takes into account Croatia’s human and economic resources. The Adriatic nation has a population of merely 3.5 million, and its current GDP is about $82 billion. Notwithstanding these constraints, the Croatian Air Force shall operate twelve state-of-the-art multirole Rafale R3R fighters manufactured in France, thereby substantially enhancing Croatia’s regional political sway.
The aircraft will serve in the elite 191st Fighter Squadron (191. Eskadrila lovačkih aviona) of the 91st Wing (91. krilo). Pilots of the 191st Squadron are trained for air target interception, air combat, and combat operations against land and sea targets. The second key unit of the 91st Wing is the 194th Multirole Helicopter Squadron (194. Eskadrila višenamjenskih helikoptéra). This unit is transitioning entirely from Mi-17 helicopters to multirole UH-60 Black Hawks.
The Croatian Air Force currently operates four Black Hawks, with eight more to be acquired by 2028. Croatia will thus replace 14 Mi-8 helicopters donated to Ukraine with 12 Black Hawks. The service life of ten Mi-171š helicopters will expire between 2026-2027 – these helicopters serve in the 395th Transport Helicopter Squadron (395. eskadrila transportnih helikoptera) of the 93rd Wing (93. krilo). It is likely that the 395th Squadron will also transition to Black Hawk helicopters, possibly to simpler types like civilian or militarized AW139/149. Croatia has retired its Mi-24 combat helicopters without replacement.
According to the probable future Croatian prime minister and current leader Andrej Plenkovi, who won parliamentary elections a week ago, Rafale is the most contemporary fourth-and-a-half-generation aircraft. He referred to Rafales’ multirole aspects as reconnaissance aircraft, tactical and strategic bombers, and tankers. With a range of 3700 kilometers and two engines, they elevate the defense capability of Croatia and the Croatian Air Force to an extent that was previously unattainable.
