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Serbia could turn to Typhoon if France refuses to deliver “certain missiles”

April 20th

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Things are not going as well as hoped between Paris and Belgrade regarding a possible acquisition of 12 planes Rafale to replace the aging MiG-29s of the Serbian Air Force. If negotiations continue with Dassault Aviation and the Hotel de Brienne, it seems that the Serbian authorities are irritated by Paris' refusal to deliver certain missiles. And to give weight to this dissatisfaction, Nebojša Stefanovi, the Serbian Minister of Defense, announced on April 16 that he had started, in parallel with negotiations with Paris, discussions with London about fighters Typhoon, specifying that the first of the two to satisfy Belgrade about these missiles, could well win the decision. The missile in question is probably the European long-range Air-Air missile Meteor, one of the rare munitions with the SCALP missile that can be used by both devices.

Initially, Belgrade had put forward the hypothesis of acquiring, alongside the 12 Rafale French, 12 other second-hand aircraft of another model in order to strengthen these defensive capabilities, and the Typhoon British Block 1 were considered credible candidates. However, in the recent communication from the Serbian Minister of Defense, this notion of second-hand aircraft is no longer predominant, and it seems that from now on, Belgrade is indeed considering the Typhoon as a full-fledged alternative to Rafale French. Furthermore, by directly arguing about authorizing the export of the missile, Serbia suggests that London would be ready to accede to its requests, where Paris would resist with determination. However, the Meteor is a missile bringing together British, Swedish, German, Italian, Spanish and French industries (which notably produces the Meteor's radar seeker), and the export authorization must be validated by all the members. In fact, the form of pressure attempted by Nebojša Stefanovi could come to an end, because Paris could very well prohibit the export of the Meteor even if Belgrade turned towards London and its Typhoon. It would be exactly the same if Serbian expectations related to the Scalp / Storm Shadow cruise missile, co-produced by France and Great Britain.