French defense shipbuilder Naval Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Croatian industrial partners on February 24, 2026, in Split — marking a decisive strategic move in the competition for what stands to be the largest naval procurement in Croatian military history.
Strategic Context: The Adriatic as a Priority Maritime Zone
Croatia’s naval force currently operates an aging fleet of missile boats and patrol vessels from the Končar, Helsinki, and Kralj classes — platforms designed for shallow coastal operations that severely limit the country’s capacity for open-sea power projection or participation in complex multinational missions.
The broader European security environment has amplified the urgency of this modernization. With Croatia now functioning as a regional energy hub for the Balkans and Central Europe — routing liquefied natural gas through its Adriatic terminals following the disruption of Russian pipeline flows — the protection of strategic maritime corridors has moved from a secondary concern to a defense imperative.
Program Scope and Operational Requirements
The acquisition envisions the procurement of two multipurpose corvettes, with the contract value estimated between €660 million and €1.6 billion, depending on the selected platform and the depth of local industrial integration. Delivery of the first hull is targeted for 2029–2030.
Core operational requirements driving the program include:
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Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) — a capability entirely absent from the current Croatian fleet
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Area air defense — currently limited to land-based systems
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Anti-surface warfare — inheriting and expanding the existing missile strike capacity
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Unmanned systems integration — corvettes potentially serving as command nodes for surface and underwater drones
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Mandatory technology transfer and participation of domestic shipyards
The Gowind HRM Offer: Naval Group’s Pitch
Naval Group is proposing the Gowind 2500 — a 2,600-tonne, 102-meter platform equipped with the SETIS combat management system and integrated PSIM sensor suite. The weapons package includes:
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Exocet anti-ship missiles for surface engagement
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Vertical launch systems (VLS) for MICA missiles and potentially Aster 15 for extended air defense
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Integrated sonar arrays and anti-submarine warfare equipment
A strategically significant detail: the Gowind 2500 shares sensor and weapons architecture with France’s FDI frigate class, opening a genuine interoperability pathway with Croatia’s Rafale jets — a considerable force-multiplication advantage should Zagreb lean toward Paris.
The Split MoU signing mirrors Naval Group’s approach in Greece, where the company anchored its offer around domestic shipyard construction and technology transfer supporting over 1,200 industrial jobs. A comparable formula could resonate strongly in Croatia, which has explicitly included local shipyard engagement as an evaluation criterion.
A Crowded and Competitive Field
Croatia faces one of the most complex procurement decisions in its defense-industrial history. By September 2025, the Ministry of Defense had already engaged 12 shipyards from eight countries in preliminary discussions. Key competing platforms include:
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Turkish Ada-class — a cost-competitive option backed by strong bilateral ties
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German K-130 — potentially buildable locally through Rheinmetall’s presence in Rijeka
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Italian FCX30, Dutch Sigma, Spanish Avante 2200
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Korean designs offering shorter delivery timelines
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European Patrol Corvette (EPC) — still in development, with uncertain delivery prospects before 2030
The Political Dimension
Platform selection carries geopolitical weight that extends well beyond technical specifications. Choosing the Gowind would deepen an already robust Franco-Croatian defense partnership — one that already includes Rafales and CAESAR howitzers — while simultaneously anchoring Croatia within a Mediterranean EU defense cluster alongside France, Italy, Spain, and Greece.
Conversely, a German-led solution could leverage Rheinmetall’s Rijeka shipyard footprint to deliver a politically attractive domestic production narrative, directly addressing Zagreb’s industrial participation demands.
Naval Group’s decision to sign industrial agreements at this stage of the competition — while some rivals remain in exploratory talks — reflects a tested playbook deployed successfully in Egypt and Malaysia, where Gowind deliveries incorporated significant local industrial contributions.
Analyst Assessment
Croatia rarely gets the opportunity to reshape its naval force structure in a single procurement decision. This program is not merely a capital acquisition — it is a test of Croatia’s capacity to navigate complex defense diplomacy while extracting maximum industrial and operational value. Naval Group, by locking in Croatian partners early, signals genuine commitment over pure sales posture. Whether Zagreb ultimately rewards that commitment will depend on how decisively the Gowind offer balances combat capability, technology transfer, and alliance obligations against a field of serious competitors.
