On 29th August 2024, Serbia and France officially signed bilateral documents confirming the purchase of twelve Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft for the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence (Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије). The contract signed in Belgrade finalised several-years-long efforts of the Serbian authorities aimed at modernisation of the country´s jet fighter fleet.
Although information and speculations related to potential purchase of the Dassault Rafale jets by Serbia were appearing in official government releases – and then in local media – for a few years, things gathered momentum at the turn of 2022 and 2023.
In August of 2023, the Serbian official delegation visited Egypt, where they made a tour at the 203rd Tactical Fighter Wing in Gebel El Basur, where the 34th Squadron of the Egyptian Air Force – the country´s sole fighter unit equipped with Rafale multirole fighters – is being based (more information in our article from 2023 – Serbian MoD in Egypt – another step towards Rafale acquirement?).
Then, in April of 2024, during the official visit of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in France, an initial agreement between Serbia and France was reached. The subject of the contract was the purchase of twelve newly manufactured Rafale jets (Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft for Serbia – an initial agreement was reached).
The official ceremony of concluding the purchase contract was held in Belgrade with the presence of Aleksandar Vučić and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The country leaders were accompanied by the highest Serbian authorities and the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier.
According to the official statement, the total value of the contract signed is 2.7 billion EUR and includes also the complete logistic support, as well as spare engines. That amount will be paid by Serbia in several instalments. The first two, each of 421 million EUR, are scheduled to be paid yet in 2024 and in 2025.
Currently neither the exact standard of the Serbian future jets nor their armament was officially confirmed. There are some speculations circulating the media, however – according to Vučić – the aircraft are going to be delivered with MICA anti-air multi-target medium range missiles, not with the Rafale top class weapon, Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.
What was officially confirmed so far, is that the Serbian purchase includes nine single-seat fighters and three in two-seat variant. The first jet is scheduled to be delivered in 2028 and the Serbian Rafale fleet should be complete within next two years.
Purchase of the French-made fighters is another milestone in the ongoing modernisation of the Serbian Air Force (more on that subject in our article from October 2022 – Modernization of the Serbian Air Force). Nowadays, the country´s fighter aviation consists of up to fourteen MiG-29 aircraft (NATO reporting name Fulcrum), acquired during the last decade from Russia and Belarus (Four more MiG-29s for Serbia).
The acquirement of the MiG-29 fleet finally allowed Serbia to withdraw the MiG-21 from active service, what officially took place in May of 2021 (A farewell to legendary fighter aircraft). Nevertheless, it was clear that the Fulcrums are just a temporary solution, and the country would soon need to purchase a new, modern fighter jet.
In addition, the contract concluded at the end of August in Belgrade, has also strengthened the position of Dassault company in the south-eastern Europe. At the beginning of 2021, the first Rafale fighters were delivered to Greece. Together with expected future orders, the Hellenic Air Force plans to acquire up to forty aircraft of that type by 2025. And in October of 2023, the first Rafale jet was handed over to Croatia, the Serbian neighbouring country, which finally acquired twelve pre-used French-made jets (First Rafale fighter handed over to Croatian Air Force).
Information from the Office of the President of the Republic of Serbia press releases were used. Photo 1 – © Министарство одбране Републике Србије / MoD Republic of Serbia.
