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Serbia makes a $3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, in a shift away from Russia
AP News ^

Posted on 08/30/2024 9:47:29 AM PDT by USA-FRANCE

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday announced a $3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, in a move that shifts his country away from its dependence on Russian arms. The announcement about the Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets was made during a joint news conference in Belgrade with French President Emmanuel Macron during a two-day visit to Serbia as part of what French officials have called a strategy of bringing Serbia closer to the European Union.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aviation; france; russia; serbia
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This is surprising and good news! Serbia has now chosen the WEST. France is the world's number two weapon exporter, it outpaced Russia (previously number two). Russia's missteps and never-ending botched illegal wars is making French Military Industry Great Again.
1 posted on 08/30/2024 9:47:29 AM PDT by USA-FRANCE
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To: USA-FRANCE

The French Mirage is a pretty good fighter plane I’ve been told. It’s a shame Serbia was our WW2 ally. BJ changed that.


2 posted on 08/30/2024 9:51:23 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: USA-FRANCE

Russia is making and using most of its own weapons and they work quite well.

$3 billion for 12 planes makes each plane cost roughly $250 million dollars which is a rip off for the Rafael fighter. Somebody is getting their beak wet and bloody in this deal. The Serbians should hang their leadership over this fiasco.


3 posted on 08/30/2024 9:56:32 AM PDT by wildcard_redneck (He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.)
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To: USA-FRANCE

France is desperate to support this industry, and stay relevant to USA, China and Russia defense industries.

They probably sold them for pennies on the dollar.


4 posted on 08/30/2024 9:58:09 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: USA-FRANCE
Serbia makes a $3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, in a shift away from Russia

No surprise, Russian military weapons have always had great performance claims but their actual use in Ukraine found them underwhelming.

Russian arms exports fell by 53% between 2014–18 and 2019–23. The number of countries purchasing major Russian arms dropped from 31 in 2019 to 12 in 2023. States in Asia and Oceania received 68% of total Russian arms exports in 2019–23, with India accounting for 34% and China for 21%.

5 posted on 08/30/2024 10:01:15 AM PDT by tlozo (Russia is ruled by a psychologically deranged dictator and worst of all, it obediently follows)
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To: wildcard_redneck
$3 billion for 12 planes makes each plane cost roughly $250 million dollars which is a rip off for the Rafael fighter. Somebody is getting their beak wet and bloody in this deal. The Serbians should hang their leadership over this fiasco.

I wouldn't be surprised if that price includes spares, test equipment, and maintenance training.

6 posted on 08/30/2024 10:01:22 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: USA-FRANCE

Czar Nicholas made the biggest mistake in history starting WW I by mobilizing Russia’s army in support of Serbia against Austro-Hungary. Serbia wasn’t important to Russia’s strategic needs. So what if it was a Slavic nation. The sad truth is that WW I was a just a big family fight.


7 posted on 08/30/2024 10:04:15 AM PDT by DeplorablePaul
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To: USA-FRANCE

Definitely good news!


8 posted on 08/30/2024 10:08:31 AM PDT by Sunsong
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To: tlozo
but their actual use in Ukraine found them underwhelming.

Who gives you these throw-away, propaganda lines?

9 posted on 08/30/2024 10:12:15 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: wildcard_redneck

“$3 billion for 12 planes makes each plane cost roughly $250 million dollars which is a rip off for the Rafael fighter. Somebody is getting their beak wet and bloody in this deal. The Serbians should hang their leadership over this fiasco.”

It’s not possible to take the total number and divide by the number of planes to determine the cost. This isn’t buying a car. The deal will include spares, software updates, test equipment, factory support and any number of other items. The deal likely includes a weapons package of missiles, bombs, targeting pods, electronic countermeasures pods and a suite of defensive addons. Every one of those will come with test stations, factory support, upgrade packages, software and other items. People tend to think of missiles, as an example, as bullets. That’s not the case. Many missiles are very complex systems that are interoperable with other satellite and ground assets, which also need their own maintenance and support. The actual cost of the aircraft themselves may be a much smaller percentage of the overall cost.


10 posted on 08/30/2024 10:21:48 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
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To: USA-FRANCE

Smells like a Z level sell out of Serbia by another budding western quisling to me. That smell, why the smell of money of course. On a $3Billion deal like that, my corruptomatic gauge says Z would peel off at least $50 million.

DC diplomacy in its essence.


11 posted on 08/30/2024 10:27:59 AM PDT by hardspunned (Daisy Ad: https://youtu.be/riDypP1KfOU?si=HviOIbG9MMMdkQG0 SHARE THAT AD!)
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To: DeplorablePaul

Even the Mad Monk Rasputin warned Czar Nicholas not to get involved in the lead up to WW I. Had Russia not stuck its nose in—WWI might have just been a small regional war between Serbia and Austra Hungarian Empire (Austria would have won). Lots of folks would not have died—no Hitler, No Nazis, etc...


12 posted on 08/30/2024 10:28:46 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (. War is Hell)
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To: Gen.Blather

You are correct. See post 11, please.


13 posted on 08/30/2024 10:28:57 AM PDT by hardspunned (Daisy Ad: https://youtu.be/riDypP1KfOU?si=HviOIbG9MMMdkQG0 SHARE THAT AD!)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

You can bet—the first plane will be sent to Moscow to be examined. The bond between Russia and Serbia can not be broken so easily.


14 posted on 08/30/2024 10:31:19 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (. War is Hell)
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To: Forward the Light Brigade

Yep. Not to mention the Austro-Hungary “empire” was riven with nationalist dissension. It would probably have fallen apart on its own. Once Russia mobilized there was no stopping the catastrophe.


15 posted on 08/30/2024 10:41:34 AM PDT by DeplorablePaul
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To: USA-FRANCE

Serbia should be careful with any Patriot Missiles in their control, lest one or more of these 12 new aircraft get shot down.


16 posted on 08/30/2024 10:43:58 AM PDT by C210N (Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.)
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To: USA-FRANCE

We should already be 5 years into transitioning into pilotless aircraft and a large inexpensive drone air force of all kinds of craft from fighters and bombers to even tankers and surveillance. Making multimillion dollar fighters that need a human pilot are so very close to obsolete.


17 posted on 08/30/2024 10:46:03 AM PDT by The Louiswu (Pray for Peace in the world.)
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To: wildcard_redneck; hardspunned; USA-FRANCE; Honorary Serb; lightman; All
The Serbians should hang their leadership over this fiasco.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic represents Serbians like Joe Biden represents Americans: considerably less than half of them.

Hopefully, Serbians can elect a President who is on their side instead of on his knees to the West.

Ping to Honorary Serb and Lightman.

18 posted on 08/30/2024 11:01:35 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
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To: wildcard_redneck

The deal will include a lot more than just the planes. Training, maintenance, spares. These things are sold in a package deal.


19 posted on 08/30/2024 11:01:45 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: Seruzawa
"The deal will include a lot more than just the planes. Training, maintenance, spares. These things are sold in a package deal."

So what you're saying is that Serbia is going to have a plague of dirty Frenchman making trouble.l in their country for a long time. Not a good move.

20 posted on 08/30/2024 11:05:11 AM PDT by wildcard_redneck (He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.)
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