Earlier in the day, a demonstration of the Serbian air defense capabilities, Shield 2022, was held at a military airfield near Belgrade. Over 1,000 military personnel, 300 types of weapons, more than 60 aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles of Serbian and foreign production were presented at the show.
"We have been long negotiating [the purchase of] 12 Rafales, and I am sure that by the end of this year or the beginning of the next we will be ready to agree on the purchase of either twice six, or total 12, new Rafales; however, we are talking and waiting for negotiations on the purchase of Eurofighter Typhoons with the British side. It would also be necessary to purchase a squadron of 12-14 vehicles," the Serbian president said at a press briefing after the event.
Earlier in April, Vucic confirmed that Serbia was negotiating the purchase of 12 new Rafale aircraft with France and 12 more used Rafale aircraft with another country.
In December 2021, Vucic announced that the country's 2020 defense budget, which amounted to over 1.1 billion euros ($1.15 billion), will be increased by another 500 million euros for the purchase of military equipment and weapons. In total, in 2022-2023, Belgrade plans to buy about 30 helicopters, including 11 Airbus H145s, four Mi-35s, three Mi-17s, and 11 Mi-35s previously used by a EU member state.