After the American veto on the resale of used Israeli F16s to Croatia, Zagreb began a vast consultation to try to replace the 12 Mig21s still in service in its air forces. Several avenues were mentioned, in particular the possibility for France to sell planes Rafale second hand. Given the effective budgetary capacities of this country bordering the Adriatic Sea with 4 million inhabitants, and whose GDP has barely reached $60 billion, the majority of approaches have been based on second-hand devices.
The Swedish manufacturer Saab seems determined to highlight the particularly low costs of its single-engine JAS 39 Gripen by offering, in this competition, not second-hand devices, but new ones, according to the information published by the Defenseworld.net website. Indeed, representatives of the Swedish Defense Material Administration (FMV) submitted, on September 9, an offer to the Croatian authorities for 12 JAS 39 Gripen C / D, as well as a strategic agreement to support the country in the implementation work of its fleet. Saab will be able to draw on the experience acquired in the Czech Republic and Hungary, both employing a small fleet of 14 aircraft, to highlight its specific capabilities in this area.
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