Serbia buys 12 French Rafale fighters for 2.7 billion euros

Serbia signed a contract in Belgrade on August 29 to buy 12 Dassault Rafale multirole combat aircraft worth 2.7 billion euros, during a two-day visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called the purchase historic for the Serbian Armed Forces.

The contract covers the aircraft, logistics support and training. Eleven other agreements between the two countries were signed alongside it, including documents on cooperation in nuclear energy and supply.

A shift away from Russian hardware

Until now the backbone of Serbia's Air Force and Air Defence has been MiG-29 fighters, mostly donated by Russia and Belarus. The Rafale purchase is the first major turn towards Western combat aviation. Macron said the contract shows Serbia's "European spirit", while Vučić said the country remains militarily neutral.