Croatia retires MiG‑21 jets, gears up with Rafales
The Croatian Ministry of Defense has announced that, starting December 1 of this year, MiG-21 aircraft will be retired from combat service. Previously purchased from Ukraine, these planes will make way for much more modern aircraft that Croatia is acquiring as part of a comprehensive military modernization effort.
1:46 PM EST, December 3, 2024
According to the portal The War Zone, Croatia was the last user of this type of aircraft in Western Europe. It bought 40 MiG-21 fighters from Ukraine in the 1990s, half of which were immediately used as "spare parts donors."
The MiG-21, an aircraft produced between 1959 and 1986, no longer holds significant value. This was particularly evident in Croatia, where the aircraft only had basic guns and short-range R-60 missiles.
Croatia withdraws MiG-21 from service
According to The Military Balance 2024 report, at the beginning of this year, the Croatian Air Force had seven remaining MiG-21 aircraft in service. It is possible that despite their retirement from combat duty, they may still be somewhat useful, for example, as training platforms.
In the near future, Italy and Hungary will oversee the safety of Croatian airspace. Under NATO commitments, they will take over patrols of the region. For this purpose, Eurofighter jets from Italy and JAS 39 Gripen jets from Hungary will be used.
New fighters for the Croatian Air Force
Croatia is equipping itself with Rafale fighters, which it is acquiring under an agreement with France. However, the operational readiness of the first Rafale fighters received is expected to be announced only at the beginning of 2026. So far, Zagreb has received five such aircraft, with a total of 12 expected. The Rafale is a multirole fighter (depending on the version, single-seat or twin-seat) capable of speeds over 1,300 mph and operating at altitudes up to about 55,800 feet.
The Croatian Air Force is also expanding with UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. To strengthen the country's military, contracts have been signed for Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, HIMARS rocket artillery systems, and Leopard 2A8 tanks.
