The last European user of the Cold War-era Mikoyan MiG-21 – Croatia – has formally withdrawn the aged type from frontline use, as it continues to transition to the Dassault Aviation Rafale.
Zagreb on 30 November announced that its remaining MiG-21s were being removed from providing air policing services with immediate effect.
Croatia was the last European and NATO operator of Cold War-era MiG-21
“From 1 December, the peacetime task of monitoring and protecting airspace will be temporarily performed from the air bases of neighbouring allied countries Italy and Hungary,” the Croatian defence ministry says.
Its NATO allies will respectively employ their Eurofighters and Saab Gripen Cs for the task “until the end of 2025, or the beginning of 2026”, it adds.
FlightGlobal’s 2025 World Air Forces directory records the Croatian air force as having had four MiG-21 fighters still in use, supported by a pair of two-seat trainers.
“Rafales are protecting the sovereignty of Croatian airspace, but are temporarily not forming a combat duty in order not to affect the intensity and implementation of pilot training,” the defence ministry notes.
Croatia’s seventh of 12 ex-French air force Rafale B/Cs touched down in the country on 21 November, marking the first such arrival since an initial batch of six was transferred in April.
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