Croatia received its first Rafale multipurpose fighter jet at a ceremony at a French Air Force base in Mont-de-Marsan on Monday, and Defence Minister Mario Banozic said that no one in this part of Europe would have a more powerful air force than Croatia, the ministry said.

This is the first of the twelve Rafales Croatia has purchased.

The minister of defence described this as a “generational success” and a success of the Croatian government. He thanked his French colleagues, and especially the Croatian pilots and technicians, the press release says.

This is a big day for Croatia and this is a big day for our fighter pilots who have shown how many dedicated, professional and expert people we have in the ranks of the Croatian Army, Banozic said, thanking the pilots and aviation technicians for everything they demonstrated during the training in France.

You are the guarantor of the great future of the Croatian army and an irreplaceable key strength of our Armed Forces, he said.

On Sunday, Minister Banozic announced that the first six Rafales would arrive in Croatia at the beginning of the second quarter of 2024, and the others according to the contracts.

Zvonimir Frka-Petesic, Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff and co-chairman of the interdepartmental commission in charge of the procurement of the multi-purpose fighter jets, said that he was glad that the Croatian government had chosen the best aircraft, and French or European technology.

According to him, the Rafales will profoundly change Croatia’s strategic positioning on the geopolitical and military map of Europe and enable making an additional contribution to strengthening security in our part of Europe.

Attending the ceremony were also Croatian Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Tomo Medved and a delegation of the Croatian Armed Forces led by the Croatian army’s chief of staff, Admiral Robert Hranj, as well as a delegation of the French Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence led by Luc de Rancourt from the French Air Force.

Banozic received a model of the Rafale multipurpose fighter jet with Croatian markings, and the minister presented French Major General Rancourt with a framed pilot cap and pilot insignia of the Croatian Air Force.

Further training of Croatian pilots and technicians will be conducted at the Bordeaux Training Centre, according to the press release.