[[{"content_id":"309882","domain_id":"0","lang_id":"en","portal_id":"2","owner_id":"114","user_id":"24","view_accesslevel_id":"0","edit_accesslevel_id":"0","delete_accesslevel_id":"0","editor_id":"0","content_title":"Croatia set to buy 12 used Israeli F-16 fighter jets","content_number":"","content_date_event":"2018-03-31 16:08:07","content_summary":"\u201cThe defense council \u2026 has accepted that Israel made the best offer and gave a recommendation to the government to decide on acquiring\u201d the Israeli planes, the defense council said in statement late Tuesday.","content_summary_fill":"1","content_body":"NATO-member Croatia is set to buy a squadron of used F-16 fighter jets from Israel to replace its Russian-made MiG-21s, after the country’s top defense body backed the deal. \r\n\r\n“The defense council … has accepted that Israel made the best offer and gave a recommendation to the government to decide on acquiring” the Israeli planes, the defense council said in statement late Tuesday. \r\n\r\nThe deal to buy 12 used F-16 jets, worth $500 million according to media reports, has yet to be confirmed by the government, but the approval is believed to be just a formality. \r\n\r\nThe jets are between 25-30 years old, and the deal includes two flight simulators, pilot and maintainer training and weapons, Hina reported. \r\n\r\n“It is a historic decision … a project guaranteeing Croatia’s security and sovereignty,” Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic told the state-run HR radio Wednesday. \r\n\r\nThe minister has said he expects the first jets to arrive in 2020, and the remainder by 2022. \r\n\r\nTop Croatian officials have voiced concern over the condition of the country’s MiG-21s. Media reports said that only four of the 12 were fully operational. \r\n\r\nZagreb issued a tender last year to acquire military jets, and Israel, Greece, South Korea, Sweden and the United States were invited to bid. \r\n\r\nCroatia joined NATO in 2009 and the European Union four years later. ","content_html":"

NATO-member Croatia is set to buy a squadron of used F-16 fighter jets from Israel to replace its Russian-made MiG-21s, after the country’s top defense body backed the deal. 
\r\n
\r\n“The defense council … has accepted that Israel made the best offer and gave a recommendation to the government to decide on acquiring” the Israeli planes, the defense council said in statement late Tuesday. 
\r\n
\r\nThe deal to buy 12 used F-16 jets, worth $500 million according to media reports, has yet to be confirmed by the government, but the approval is believed to be just a formality. 
\r\n
\r\nThe jets are between 25-30 years old, and the deal includes two flight simulators, pilot and maintainer training and weapons, Hina reported. 
\r\n
\r\n“It is a historic decision … a project guaranteeing Croatia’s security and sovereignty,” Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic told the state-run HR radio Wednesday. 
\r\n
\r\nThe minister has said he expects the first jets to arrive in 2020, and the remainder by 2022. 
\r\n
\r\nTop Croatian officials have voiced concern over the condition of the country’s MiG-21s. Media reports said that only four of the 12 were fully operational. 
\r\n
\r\nZagreb issued a tender last year to acquire military jets, and Israel, Greece, South Korea, Sweden and the United States were invited to bid. 
\r\n
\r\nCroatia joined NATO in 2009 and the European Union four years later. <\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2018-03-31 16:08:07","content_date_finish":"2018-03-31 16:08:07","content_date_register":"2018-03-31 16:09:52","content_date_last_edit":"2018-03-31 16:09:52","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"0","content_show_related_img":"0","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"1","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"0","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","old_id":"0","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":"2247539078","attach_date_register":"2018-03-31 16:09:48","attach_id":"419884","attach_file_ext":"jpg","attach_file_header":"image\/jpeg","attach_img_type":"2","attach_img_width":"640","attach_img_height":"334","attach_file_media":"1","attach_show_watermark":"1","score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"1037","visit_date_last":"2025-05-08 20:36:35","attach_title":"Croatia set to buy 12 used Israeli F-16 fighter jets\r\n 2","node_title":"news,Eurasia","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":122, \"left\":2, \"right\":53},{\"node_id\":148, \"left\":57, \"right\":58}]"}]]