According to information published by Informer on December 28, 2021, the Serbian Air Force could buy Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft to replace its Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft.
The Serbian Air Force has recommended that the country purchase French Rafale warplanes but the government is yet to decide between French or Russian fighter jets, Defence Minister Nebojša Stefanović told Radio-Television of Serbia today.
“According to what the Air Force told the President, they are more in favour of purchasing the French Rafale fighter jets, but after an in-depth analysis, we will see what the Armed Forces will decide on. Either way, a huge amount of money is in question, and that the matter is under strategic consideration,” Stefanović concluded.
The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation.
Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. The Rafale is referred to as an “omnirole” aircraft by Dassault.
Introduced in 2001, the Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy.
The Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries and was selected for purchase by the Indian Air Force, the Egyptian Air Force, and the Qatar Air Force. The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a twin-engine jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Sukhoi Su-27, was developed to counter new U.S. fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
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