Outrage in Serbia: French Rafale Fighters Have Severely Reduced Combat Capabilities
The fighter jets purchased by Serbia from France will not be equipped with modern weaponry. Paris fears Belgrade could “pose a threat to neighboring countries that are NATO members”
Controversy and protests among the Serbian public following a report that Rafale fighter jets purchased by the Balkan country from France for more than 2.7 billion euros “will have reduced combat capabilities, because Paris refuses to supply Belgrade with the latest generation of Meteor long-range missiles.”
According to a French source quoted by Belgrade’s Beta news agency, “the Rafales to be delivered to Serbia will be fourth-generation aircraft, but with reduced combat capabilities so as not to pose a threat to any of the neighboring NATO member states.”
“This would mean,” the Serbian news agency writes, “that the fleet of Soviet and Russian-made MiGs currently supplied to the Serbian Air Force would have missiles with a much longer range than the French ones.
Moreover, according to the Balkan Security Network portal, any integration of French fighter jets with the new Russian weapons will be impossible due to Western sanctions against Moscow. According to military expert Petar Vojinovic, editor-in-chief of the Tango Six portal, the Serbian-French contract will not include the necessary packages of sophisticated and modern weapons.
During the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade at the end of August, the Serbian government signed a contract with the French company Dassault for the delivery of 12 Rafale fighter jets. Eric Trappier, CEO of the French aviation company, said that the first Rafale will be delivered to the Serbian air defense forces in 2028, while the entire production and delivery operation should be completed in 2030.
