Croatia has agreed to purchase a batch of 12 used Rafale fighter jets from France, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday, in a deal worth one billion euros. The fighter jets will replace Croatia’s Russian-made MiGs in the country’s biggest arms purchase since its 1990s war of independence from Yugoslavia.
The EU member selected France’s package over bids from Israel, Sweden, and the United States, and also expects to get the first batch of six planes by 2024. Plenkovic told a cabinet session the French offer to supply the planes for 999 million euros was the best deal.
“For the most favorable price, Croatia gets the best rated and best-equipped plane,” the prime minister said.
Critics had suggested the government should be focusing its efforts on helping the pandemic-hit economy to recover rather than spending on weaponry. Responding to which the Defence Minister Mario Banozic told the media that the decision to buy the jets was not about giving the military new toys.
Croatia joined NATO in 2009 and the European Union four years later. Croatia spends slightly less than $1 billion each year on defence, according to NATO figures, falling just short of the alliance’s recommendation that members spend two percent of GDP.
