On Tuesday May 2, 2023, a delegation from the Croatian Air Force traveled to BA 133 at Nancy-Ochey air base, the home base for Croatian pilots for their Rafale training within the French Air and Space Force (AAE).
Following the signing of the strategic partnership linking France and Croatia and the Croatian choice to acquire Rafale, the Air and Space Force (AAE) is in charge of training the first Croatian pilots.
For the Croatian delegation, the objective of this visit was to discover the Rafale Transformation Squadron (ETR) 3/4 “Aquitaine”, a unit within which Croatian pilots are trained to fly the Rafale. On this occasion, Croatian airmen were able to participate in a mission preparation under real conditions by taking part in a simulator session.
Following the validation of their theoretical training, the first Croatian pilots were able to begin the practical phase of flight training on Rafale. With several flights per week, pilot training is structured around a very specific program of mission preparation, flight, including briefings and debriefings, and study. After flying in the presence of AAE instructors, a first pilot made a solo flight on the Rafale on Thursday, May 11, a first in the history of the Croatian Air Force. The next solo flights of the other pilots are planned for the coming days.
The first Croatian Rafales will arrive in Croatia in the first half of 2024.