19 April 2022

Serbia interested in new, surplus Eurofighter Typhoons from UK

by Igor Bozinovski

The UK has 30 Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoons that it is looking to sell from 2025, and Serbia may be a potential customer for these and/or newbuild aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)

Serbia is in discussions with the United Kingdom to acquire both newbuild and surplus Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft as part of a wider effort to modernise the country's air force.

Serbian Defence Minister Nebojša Stefanović said on 16 April that the Serbian Air Force and Air Defense (Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana: RV i PVO) is in the market for the Typhoons as it continues discussions with France for the Dassault Rafale. He added that he is seeking an unidentified missile type that can be carried by both the Eurofighter and the Rafale as part of the deal, and that the willingness of either France or the UK to sell the missile could be a factor in any procurement decision.

“What is interesting for me and for what I talked about with RV i PVO experts are the abilities that a potential partner [nation] can offer us. If Great Britain offers us a missile that has twice the range in a plane with similar characteristics as Rafale, that is a huge advantage for RV i PVO – when it can fire a missile at 300 km, [rather] than when it can shoot at 120 km or 150 km. If one partner [nation] does not offer us such a rocket, and it owns it in use but says it is not ready to sell it to Serbia, that should also be taken into account,” Stefanović told Serbian national TV station RTS1.

Serbia is in discussions with the United Kingdom to acquire both newbuild and surplus Eurofighter Ty...

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