Serbia secures Rafale jets in historic deal with France
After many months of negotiations, Serbia and France have agreed to purchase Rafale fighter jets. Acquiring these aircraft, whose capabilities we will recall, marks another important step for Serbia in distancing itself from Russia, with which it had been militarily associated for years.
According to "La Tribune," the French authorities and Dassault Aviation (the manufacturer of Rafale fighters) have concluded negotiations with Serbia that lasted about two years. The discussions were centered around the sale of 12 Rafale fighters. The French media expect an official announcement of the agreement during Emmanuel Macron's visit to Belgrade (August 29-30).
The most advanced aircraft of the French Air Force
Rafale is the most advanced aircraft of the French Air Force. This twin-engine, multi-role fighter features a design based on a delta wing with canard foreplanes. It has excellent maneuverability at both low and high speeds. The maximum speed achieved by the Rafale is 1.8 Mach, or about 1,323 mph. The maximum altitude at which it can operate is up to 55,118 feet.
The standard equipment of this fighter includes a 30 mm onboard cannon with a firing rate of up to 2,500 rounds per minute and 14 pylons for carrying additional weapons. It is designed to be compatible with various missiles and bombs. Rafale can carry long-range air-to-air missiles such as Meteor, short/medium-range air-to-air missiles like MICA, anti-ship missiles like the AM 39 Exocet, as well as Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles and ASMP-A guided bombs with a thermonuclear warhead.
Serbia buys Rafale fighters
The lengthy negotiations were partly driven by the stance of the authorities in Paris, who demand that Belgrade normalize relations with Kosovo. At the same time, the contract is seen as very convenient for Dassault Aviation. The company was looking for a smaller contract (12-18 fighters) to fill its production schedule, which is already busy with orders from the United Arab Emirates, France, and Indonesia.
"All lights are green for the Rafale from Dassault Aviation to land in Serbia. Technically speaking, according to our sources, the negotiations were concluded at the beginning of the summer, but this contract also has a significant geopolitical dimension (regular tensions between Serbia and Kosovo)," reports "La Tribune."
Serbia boasts one of the largest armies in the Balkans, but in terms of aviation, it still relies on Soviet-era aircraft delivered by Russia. It currently operates MiG-29 fighters and Mi-35 helicopters. However, signs of looking towards the West appeared as early as September 2023. Serbia then received its first C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus. These types of planes began to replace the Soviet-era An-26s.
