The signing of the contract follows the selection of Rafale earlier this year, after a first acquisition of second-hand F-16s failed in 2019.

Croatia signed a government-to-government deal with France, worth 999 million euros, for the acquisition of 12 second-hand Dassault Rafale during a ceremony in Zagreb on Nov. 25, 2021. The ceremony was attended by the French President Emmanuel Macron and the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly and the Croatian Minister of Defense Mario Banozic, and the CEO of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier.

“The purchase of the planes strategically is what we see as a game changer for Croatia,” said Plenkovic at a joint press conference with Macron after the signing ceremony. “This will not only give us the ability to avert those who have any aspirations toward our territory but also to become the so-called exporters of security [and] of stability in southeastern Europe,” he said.