At a meeting on Thursday, November 14, the Croatian government approved the purchase of six Turkish Bayraktar TB2 attack drones, equipment for the maintenance of French VBA Rafale fighter jets, and the purchase of German Leopard 2A8 tanks to replace its M-84 tanks, which Croatia plans to transfer to Ukraine.
This was reported by the Croatian Ministry of Defense, UNN reports.
Details
The Government of the Republic of Croatia has made a decision on significant procurement for the Ministry of Defense, namely, equipping and modernizing the Croatian Army. These are decisions on preparatory actions for the purchase of new state-of-the-art Leopard 2A8 tanks, the purchase of Bayraktar TB2 and equipment for the maintenance of VBA Rafale fighter aircraft
Media outlets report that the Croatian government has approved the purchase of six Bayraktar TB2 drones worth 86 million euros by 2026.
Explaining the purchase of the Bayraktar, Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anušić noted that the experience of recent conflicts shows that the role and importance of reconnaissance and armed unmanned aerial systems is growing in armed conflicts.
Anušić also noted that the Croatian government is transferring material resources to Ukraine, namely M-84 tanks (a licensed copy of the Soviet T-72M1) and M-80 infantry fighting vehicles, along with the relevant spare parts and ammunition, with a total book value of 144.8 million euros.
For the transferred material resources, the Federal Ministry of Defense of Germany will make a payment to the state budget by November 30, 2024, and these funds are intended for the purchase of Leopard 2A8 tanks for the Croatian army
In addition, the Croatian government will increase the budget of the country’s Ministry of Defense by 17.36% compared to 2024, i.e. by 222.5 million euros, and in 2025 it will amount to 1.5 billion euros.
Recall
Croatia is to transfer 30 M-84 tanks and 30 M-80 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in exchange for which it will buy 50 new Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany at a reduced price.
