Serbia Mulls Purchase Of France's Rafale Fighters - Defense Minister

Umer Jamshaid Published December 28, 2021 | 05:09 PM

Serbia's air forces are considering buying Rafale fighters from France and have notified the country's president of their intention, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on Tuesday

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2021) Serbia's air forces are considering buying Rafale fighters from France and have notified the country's president of their intention, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on Tuesday.

Earlier in December, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced a 500 million euro ($566 million) increase in the country's 1.1 billion euro defense budget in 2022 for additional equipment and weapons.

Modernizing Serbian fighter jet fleet is a costly endeavor that needs to be considered strategically, according to Stefanovic.

"The air force told the President that they are currently more inclined to buy the French-made Rafale. But after we are done with a full analysis, let's see what the army chooses," the minister told the Radio Television of Serbia.

Over the next few years, Belgrade is planning to purchase four Mi-35 and three Mi-17 helicopters, as well as two new Pantsir missile systems from Russia, two CASA C-295 Airbus Military transport aircraft, ten Airbus H145 helicopters, 18 Mistral MANPADS, Stefanovic said.

The minister also confirmed that Serbia was negotiating the price and maintenance details with Cyprus regarding the previously announced purchase of 11 used Mi-35 helicopters, though the final decision will be made by the military.

Stefanovic also welcomed the recent delivery of Russia's Kornet anti-tank missile systems, which he called a "killer weapon" for armored vehicles, and announced plans to install them on Serbian-made transporter vehicles.