A ceremonial military parade along Vukovarska Street in Zagreb ended on Thursday with a flyover of nine Rafale fighter jets, marking the 30th anniversary of Croatia's military-police operation Storm and the liberation of the occupied territory occupied by rebel Serbs and members of the Yugoslav Army during the Homeland War.
Watch the full video of the parade:
The Rafale is a twin-engine, 4,5+ generation multi-role fighter aircraft, a product of the French company Dassault Aviation. It is equipped with advanced attack and navigation systems, a new generation RBE2 electronic radar, with high integration of sensors and self-protection systems.
It has the ability to use a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons, making it one of the best combat aircraft today.
The maximum take-off weight of 24,5 tons allows it to effectively carry out a wide range of combat missions within a tactical radius of 1800 kilometers, with a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons in combination with additional external fuel tanks. The Rafale's maximum range with external fuel tanks is 3700 kilometers.
The most prepared Croatian soldiers and police officers, the best military weapons were displayed on Thursday at a ceremonial military parade in which Zagreb and Croatia marked the upcoming 30th anniversary of the liberation operation Storm and the Victory and Homeland Gratitude Day, as well as the Croatian Defenders' Day.
Active soldiers, war veterans, volunteers, conscripts and cadets marched in an impressive column, more than three kilometers long, and the numerous attendees were able to see Patria combat vehicles, PuH 2000 howitzers, and M-84 and Leopard 2A tanks that have yet to arrive in the Croatian Army.
More than three thousand participants walked along Vukovar City Street for two hours
More than three thousand participants and 500 vehicles spent two hours marching along Zagreb's Vukovara Street, from Avenija Marin Držića to Savska cesta. Perfectly trained, motivated, and encouraged by the applause of the crowd, they brilliantly completed their assigned task.
In addition to the Armed Forces, the parade was attended by members of the Ministry of the Interior, the Civil Protection Directorate, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, the Judicial Police, the Croatian Firefighters' Association, Croatian veterans and historical units.
For the first time, members of the armed forces from eight countries participated in the ceremonial parade. In this formation, members of the foreign forces carried the flags of their countries.
The parade's flight program included 41 aircraft from the Croatian Air Force (HRZ) and six helicopters from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia. The Croatian Air Force's aerobatic team, "Wings of the Storm", also participated with six Pilatus PC-9M aircraft.
A Croatian Navy (CRM) parade called ''Greetings from the Adriatic'' was held in the Adriatic waters. The convoy consisted of four missile gunboats, two landing ships, four patrol ships and four large rubber boats, on which 211 members of the Croatian Navy were deployed.
As part of the parade, citizens had the opportunity to see a display of new weapons and modern military equipment, such as the Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle and FPV drones, which presented technological progress and the continuous strengthening of the defense capabilities of the Croatian Army.
A rich cultural and artistic program was also held at the ceremonial military parade.
Photo: HINA/Lana Slivar Dominić
