(ANSA-AFP) - ZAGREB, APR 25 - Croatia on Thursday received
the first six of a dozen used Rafale fighter jets it has bought
from France in its biggest arms purchase since its 1990s war of
independence. The warplanes touched down in the capital Zagreb,
heralding a major overall of Croatia's air force which is
replacing its fleet of ageing Soviet-era MiGs. Outgoing Prime
Minister Andrej Plenkovic and other top officials held an
arrival ceremony for the planes, flown over by Croatian pilots
following months of training in France. "Modernization of the
fighter fleet is the biggest investment... into the Croatian
army and the security of our homeland," Defence Minister Ivan
Anusic said Thursday in a message posted on X. In 2021, Croatia
agreed to buy the 12 jets in a deal worth one billion euros
($1.3 billion), its biggest arms purchase since it fought to
separate from Yugoslavia three decades ago. (ANSA-AFP).
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