Rafale Deal at Stake as Serbia Considers ‘Choosing BRICS Over Brussels’

Following <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/serbia-rafale-break-russia-defences" target="_blank">confirmation</a> in April that Serbia had selected the French Rafale fourth generation fighter for a major acquisition, the purchase has faced growing controversy domestically amid both declining relations with the Western world and emerging revelations regarding the<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/serbia-downgraded-rafale-no-missiles" > limitations being imposed</a> on the aircraft’s capabilities. The Serbian government’s perception of a need for closer ties with the European Union for economic reasons is considered by analysts to be a primary reason why the country showed an interest in acquiring Western fighters, despite non-Western sources offering aircraft without any remotely comparable downgrades to performance. The fact that the Rafale will not be easily able to integrate into Serbia’s air defence network, or share data with its Russian MiG-29 fighters and Chinese and Russian HQ-22, Pantsir-S air defence systems, further raised controversies. The highly political nature of Serbia’s selection of the Rafale, which was considered an important step for Belgrade to join the European Union, leaves the deal at serious risk as&nbsp;Serbia begins to consider the possibility of ending its aspirations to join the bloc, and instead join the Chinese BRICS grouping.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2024/10/16/article_670f67447544c7_99301719.jpg" title="Chinese HQ-22 Missile Battery in Serbian Service">On October 13 Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin stated that Belgrade was considering joining BRICS as an alternative to EU membership. "There is no doubt that BRICS has become a real alternative to the EU,” he stated at the time. Vulin previously stated early August regarding the attraction of BRICS: “BRICS does not ask anything of Serbia and offers more than we could want. The EU asks of us everything, and I’m no longer sure what it has to offer.” “We see BRICS as an opportunity and an alternative,” he added at the time, stating: “Serbia is very closely investigating all the possibilities presented by BRICS and closer cooperation with its member states.” Although Serbia’s heavy reliance on trade with EU members has raised questions regarding the viability of a shift away from the European Union, tensions with Brussels and with multiple EU members have grown as Belgrade has resisted mounting pressure to impose economic sanctions on and otherwise downgrade ties with Russia.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2024/10/16/article_670f678061b8a6_62017181.jpeg" title="Serbian Air Force MiG-29">Serbia and previously Yugoslavia had consistently operated Soviet fighter aircraft, with 14 MiG-29s forming the backbone of the country’s fleet today the majority of which were donated as aid by Russia and Belarus. Serbia’s experience of intensive NATO bombardment of its civilian infrastructure in the 1990smpreviously left the Serbian Defence Ministry reluctant to rely on Western-supplied equipment to protect its airspace, with such equipment considered to have little use should hostilities with NATO members re-ignite.&nbsp;While Belgrade has been&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/serbia-s400-nato-stopped-caatsa" >deterred from acquiring</a>&nbsp;Russian S-300 or S-400 air defence systems by threats of Western sanctions,&nbsp;and instead <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/serbia-displays-newly-delivered-chinese-hq-22-air-defence-systems-in-warning-to-nato" target="_blank">acquired</a> Chinese HQ-22 systems in 2022 despite considerable Western pressure, it was previously expected that the country could <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-jf17bl3-5gen-avionics-perfect-serbia" target="_blank">look to China</a> for a modern fighter aircraft that would reflect its neutral status in the current NATO-Russian confrontation. With the Rafale deal very closely tied to Belgrade’s aspirations to join the European Union, an end to such aspirations would likely result in an end to plans to acquire the fighters.&nbsp;