Croatian interest in Gripen

According to reports from Croatia, official presentations of the Gripen have been made to the Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvoi I Protuzračna Obrana (HRZ I PZO, Croatian Air Force) and to various high-ranking Croatian officials, including the defence minister and president. Demonstrated at Zagreb was a JAS 39C from the Hungarian Air Force’s 59th Tactical Fighter Wing, which is home base of the single fighter unit of the HRZ I PZO, the Eskadrila Borbenih Aviona (EBA, Combat Aircraft Squadron), operating 12 modernised MiG-21s. The Croatian Ministry of Defence began a selection process to replace its ageing MiG-21s in mid-2015, when requests for information were sent to various manufacturers. Reportedly, the most serious contendors are the Gripen, offered by the Saab Group and the F-16, the latter offered by Israel in the form of its recently retired F-16A/B Netz aircraft. A month before the Gripen presentation, an HRZ I PZO team went to Israel to inspect the aircraft being offered and also visited Romania, a NATO nation that is currently switching from MiG-21s to F-16s. After the presentation, the HRZ I PZO planned to make official visits to the Czech Republic and Hungary, both former MiG-21 users which now operate the Gripen.