The last MiG-21 Fishbed fighters in Europe, belonging to the Croatian Air Force and assigned to NATO, have retired. The MiG-21 has flown with various European Air Forces since its introduction in 1959, and Croatia was the last European country still operating the type.
Croatia’s Ministry of Defense announced that the MiGs-21s would cease peacetime quick reaction alert duty on December 1st. Croatia has switched to more advanced Dassault Rafale multi-role fighters, which are currently in use for pilot training. The Croatian Air Force has received 7 Rafales so far (5 single-seaters and 2 two-seaters). Five more single-seaters are scheduled for delivery in April 2025. Initial operational capability is planned for the end of 2025 or early 2026.
In the interim, Italian Air Force and Hungarian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons and Saab Gripens will guard Croatian airspace through a NATO arrangement.
What do you think about Croatia selecting the Dassault Rafale as the MiG-21 Fishbed replacement?