In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the formation of the Croatian army along with the Croatian Statehood day and both the Croatian army day and Croatian armed forces day, an event was held on May 30, 2026 at ŠRC Jarun. This is a recreation and water sports centre in the south west suburbs of Zagreb. Chris Lofting was on hand for Aeroresource to report on this unique event in Croatia.
AIRVG24 was all about the passing of the Mikoyan MiG-21 in Croatian Air Force service, then AIRVG25 was all about the acceptance into service of the Dassault Aviation Rafale. The unique presence of the entire fleet of 12 Rafales (ten single-seat and two twin-seat aircraft) in one row in front of the crowd line was really the focal point of the whole event. Chris Lofting was present to record this truly historic event for the Croatian Air Force and its adoring public. Chris also provides his unique insight into the origins and service of Croatia’s Rafale fleet now in service.
