A Croatian MiG-21 military jet crashed during a training flight on Tuesday, the country’s defense ministry said. The crash happened around 2 p.m. (1300 GMT) in an uninhabited forested area in the country’s northeast. The ministry statement said a search team was looking for the crew. According to Croatian officials, both pilots on board the fighter ejected safely from the plane that crashed during training.
One pilot suffered undisclosed injuries, officials said, as NATO and EU member Croatia has an aging fleet of some 12 Soviet-made MiG-21s that are due to be replaced with a squadron of French-made Rafale fighter jets. Deliveries of the Rafale jets are expected to begin in late 2024, with the first batch of eight and the second batch of four in early 2025.
with inputs from agencies