The Croatian Ministry of Defense on February 23 received six Dassault Rafale F3-R fighter aircraft purchased by the former French Air and Space Force (AAE). Another six of the twelve units will be delivered by 2025.
Croatia got the Rafale F3-R from France via the 'fast track', namely by buying a plane that was still being used by AAE so that it could get it quickly too. As a consequence, the Rafale variant obtained is the F3-R which will be replaced by the F4 variant for AAE.
The process of getting six Rafale F3-R units from France only took five months since the first unit was obtained by Croatia in October last year.
Croatia decided to acquire 12 Rafales from France in May 2021. These delta-wing aircraft will be used to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet.
The aircraft purchase was completed in November 2021 for a value of 1.15 billion euros (1.21 billion USD). Of the 12 units purchased, 10 units were single seat variants and two units were tandem seat variants.
For the acquisition of this used Rafale jet, Croatia will make payments in installments over five years starting from 2021 to 2026. Apart from the aircraft, Croatia will also receive a Rafale simulator for pilot training with a delivery schedule in 2025.
Regarding the R3-R variant used by AAE and later acquired by Croatia, this aircraft has higher specifications than the base variant, including improved weapons system avionics capabilities, and overall performance.
The Rafale F3-R is equipped with an upgraded Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) RBE2 AA radar. This radar provides better detection and tracking capabilities.
The F3-R also includes an advanced front sector optronics (FSO) system that enables improved detection, identification and designation. Additionally, the F3-R variant is equipped with the Talios Pod , a new generation laser designator pod that provides high-resolution imaging.
