Serbia signed today with the French company "Dassault Aviation" (Dassault Aviation) contract for the purchase of 12 new "Rafal" fighter jets, France Press reported, BTA reported.
The agency specified that the deal was signed at the beginning of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Belgrade. The French fighter jets will replace the aging fleet of Russian MiG fighter jets. of the Serbian Air Force. By 2029, Belgrade is expected to receive 9 single-seater and 3 two-seater "Rafal" aircraft. for an undisclosed sum.
In February, commenting on a possible purchase, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that he was ready to "put on the table" 3 billion euros - an impressive order, confirmed to journalists by the president and CEO of "Dassault Aviation" Eric Trapier, notes AFP.
Serbia is the seventh country to purchase such aircraft. It also became the third European country, a traditional customer of Russia, to choose the multi-purpose twin-engine aircraft after Greece, which has 24 such machines, including 12 second-hand ones, and Croatia, which bought 12 "Rafal" aircraft. second hand. "Another European customer is a big win. This is another confirmation that a number of countries, traditionally clients of Russia, are turning to France, after Indonesia, Egypt and India," Xavier Titelman, an air defense consultant and editor-in-chief of the magazine Air & Cosmos.