Serbia Signs $3 Billion Deal to Buy 12 French Fighter Jets

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (R) shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron as they take part in a meeting at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade on Aug. 29, 2024, during a two-day official visit of France's President in Serbia. Expectations are high that the two countries will sign a deal worth billions of euros to supply Rafale fighter jets to the Balkan country during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade that kicks off on Aug. 29, 2024. Elvis Barukcic/AFP via Getty Images

The Serbian government has entered an agreement with France to purchase 12 French-made fighter jets, in a sign Serbia may be shifting away from its reliance on Russian arms.

The French military aircraft maker Dassault Aviation announced that French President Emmanuel Macron, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier had signed an agreement for Serbia’s military to purchase 12 Rafale fighter jets. The agreement came as Macron visited Belgrade, the Serbian capital, on Aug. 29.

“Buying ‘Rafale’ is big news for us,” Vučić wrote in a Thursday statement.

The Rafale is a twin-engine, multi-role fighter jet that entered service with the French military in the early 2000s. Since then, other nations have begun to adopt the French-produced fighter jet, including Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Qatar, and India.

“Twelve brand new airplanes will be owned by Serbia. That’s huge news for us because it will contribute to a significant increase of the operational capabilities of our army,” Vučić said Wednesday.

The Serbian president said the deal, which he valued at around 2.7 billion euros (around $3 billion), would include auxiliary support to maintain the new fighter jets.

Two Rafale jet fighters fly over Iraq in this remote camera screen grab photo provided on Sept. 19, 2014, by the French Army's video and photo department. ECPAD/AP Photo

“On behalf of Dassault Aviation and its partners, I would like to thank the Serbian authorities for the confidence they have placed in us by choosing the Rafale, and assure them of our total commitment to making its integration into the Serbian Armed Forces a success,” Trappier said Thursday.

“Serbia’s decision to equip itself for the first time with a Dassault aircraft confirms the Rafale’s operational superiority and its proven excellence in serving the sovereign interests of a nation,” the Dassault CEO added.

Serbia’s Regional Relations

Serbia had been considering the purchase of the new Rafale jets for more than two years after its Balkan neighbor Croatia ordered 12 used Rafales.

The decision to purchase the Rafale fighter jets allowed Serbia to modernize its fighter fleet, which currently consists of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters and Soko J-22 Orao ground-attack aircraft developed in the 1970s by Yugoslavia before its dissolution in 1991 and 1992.

Russia has been a traditional supplier of military equipment for Serbia, but the Rafale purchase deal could serve as an opportunity to pull the Balkan state closer to France and other Western European nations.

Serbia began taking steps to join the European Union in 2009 but hasn’t finalized the ascension process in the years since.

While Serbia maintains relatively positive relations with Russia, E.U.-Russian relations have remained strained in recent years due in part to the Russia-Ukraine war.

France is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has routinely assisted Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic give a joint press conference following their talks in Sochi, Russia, on Dec. 4, 2019. Shamil Zhumatov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Belgrade curtailed military cooperation with Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine. It has condemned the invasion, but unlike the EU, it has not imposed sanctions on Moscow.

The EU remains Serbia’s single biggest investor, and Western European companies employ hundreds of thousands of Serbs. But Belgrade is also heavily reliant on Russian gas and had the Kremlin’s support in opposition to Kosovo’s split from Serbia in 2008.

While the Rafale purchase deal could incentivize Serbia to align more with its Western partners, there is some risk Russia could glean sensitive information about the French fighter jet from Serbia.

At a Thursday press conference, Vučić offered assurances that Serbia would not turn over information regarding the French fighter jets to Russia.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this article.