BELGRADE, December 27. . Croatia plans to begin independent control of its airspace from January 1, 2026. According to a report by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic, control will be carried out using French-made Rafale fighter jets belonging to the country's Air Force.
“From January 1, 2026, the Republic of Croatia will undertake surveillance and protection of its airspace with Rafale multirole fighter aircraft as part of NATO's integrated air and missile defense system,” the Ministry of Defense noted.
Previously, airspace control over Croatian territory was carried out from the territory of neighboring countries using Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the Italian Air Force and Gripen of the Hungarian Army.
Croatia purchased 12 Rafale fighter jets from France in 2021. The last aircraft in the batch was delivered to Zagreb in April this year. Rafale will go on combat missions after completing Croatian pilot training.
