The Croatian government on Friday decided to spend €72 million on the purchase of a French-made short-range Mistral-3 air defense missile system, the state news platform Hina reported.

“The circumstances that followed the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the crash of a military drone in Zagreb have shown how necessary it is for us to adjust our priorities and plans to equip the Croatian military. The purchase of a short-range air defense missile system has been set as the highest priority for the acquisition of equipment in the short-term,” Defense Minister, Mario Banozic, said in a televised cabinet meeting on Friday.

“The Croatian Armed Forces have made a request for the priority purchase of a Mistral short-range missile system and Mistral-3 missiles. This is an urgent and critical measure of importance to Croatia’s security and defense in the long term,” Banozic said.

The purchase includes Mistral-3 missiles and a short-range launcher with a state-of-the-art thermal imaging camera, an electronic target identification system, and a command and control coordination kit, as well as an integrated logistics support package, personnel training, and the manufacturer’s technical support.

The system costs €53.8 million, which will be paid in installments over the next five years, or €72 million with taxes, Banozic reportedly said.