Belgrade has placed an order for 12 Dassault Rafale fighters, boosting the international backlog for the French type.
The order was signed by Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on 29 August, says Dassault.
Also present at the signing were French President Emmanuel Macron and Serbian defence minister Bratislav Gasic.
Serbia’s order has been anticipated for several months. In April, Vucic said that agreements had been reached related to the deal, with a contract signing then expected in June.
Belgrade’s combat aircraft inventory comprises 17 locally-built Soko J-22 ground-attack jets and 11 Russian-made RAC MiG-29s, FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces 2024 directory records.
The deal sees Serbia join the growing list of Rafale export customers, which includes Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“On behalf of Dassault Aviation and its partners, I would like to thank the Serbian authorities for the confidence they have placed in us by choosing the Rafale and assure them of our total commitment to making its integration into the Serbian armed forces a success,” says Trappier.
“Serbia’s decision to equip itself for the first time with a Dassault aircraft confirms the Rafale’s operational superiority and its proven excellence in serving the sovereign interests of a nation.”
