The new multi-purpose Rafal aircraft, which Serbia ordered from France for 2,7 billion euros, will have reduced combat capabilities because Paris refuses to allow Belgrade to purchase the highest quality long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles, specialized portals write.
According to the Balkan Security Network portal, there is also speculation about the integration of Russian weapons, but the viability of that option is questionable due to international sanctions against Moscow.
According to the Bulgarian military portal Bulgarian military, a source from France confirmed that the Rafales that will be delivered to Serbia will be fourth-generation aircraft, but with reduced capabilities for air combat so that they do not pose a threat to one of the neighboring NATO members.
Representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Serbia recently, during the visit of the French President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade, signed a contract with the Dasso company on the delivery of 12 new Rafal F4 aircraft for 2,7 billion euros, but it was not stated whether the aircraft will also be delivered with weapons.
The Meteor rocket, produced by the European multinational company MBDA, is one of the most modern long-range rockets in the world (beyond visual range - BVR) of the "fire and forget" type and has a proclaimed range of up to 200 kilometers.
This is even more than the official range of the best American and Russian long-range "fire-and-forget" missiles, such as the AIM-120 and R-37 in the most modern variants, and is cited by the manufacturer as a key comparative advantage when purchasing the Rafale over other aircraft.
The second best long-range missile produced by MBDA, and which Serbia could eventually get with the new Rafales even if the geopolitical circumstances improve by then, is the MICA. It is a missile with a maximum range of 60 (or 80 kilometers depending on the source), which is also part of the BVR armament and is of the "fire and forget" type.
If the claims of that source turn out to be true, that is, if Serbia does not get Meteor missiles but MICA in addition to the Rafale, it will mean that the existing Mig-29 fighters in the armament of the Serbian Armed Forces will have missiles with a longer range.
Namely, after the modernization to the SM variant, a certain amount of modern R-29 ER27 missiles (the range of which is estimated at about 1 kilometers) as well as "fire and forget" RVV-AE (export variant R- 120 range of about 77 kilometers). Both of these missiles have a longer range than the MICA missile.
This development of events was announced in the text of the French portal Air & Cosmos, in which it is stated that the Serbian Rafales will be delivered unarmed and that the official Belgrade will solve this by "diversifying the source" of the weapons.
As one of the possibilities, it is mentioned that Serbia will keep and try to integrate the existing air-to-air missiles of Russian origin R-27 ER1 and RVV-AE, as well as TV-guided air-to-ground missiles H-29T (Kh-29T) and laser-guided bombs KAB-500.
That portal states that the Israeli company Elbit systems is a potential partner in the integration of Russian weapons on the new Rafales. Although this possibility seems achievable, experts remind the public that Serbia has acquired relatively small quantities of these missiles from Russia, which certainly will not meet the needs of a squadron of 12 Rafales.
There is also the question of the possibility of long-term maintenance of these funds due to EU and US sanctions imposed on Moscow as a result of the war in Ukraine and the certainty that this conflict and its negative consequences in terms of supplies from Russia will be long-lasting.
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