Serbia displays Chinese missiles, drones in show of military might

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbia on Saturday exhibited its new Chinese surface-to-air missiles and other military equipment bought from Russia and the West.

Chinese and French missiles, along with Chinese armed drones and Russian MiG-29 jets, were lined up for the media and public at the Batajnica military airfield near the capital Belgrade.

Serbia received the Chinese FK-3 surface-to-air defense system earlier this month, making it the only European country that currently has the Chinese missile system and CH-92A combat drones.

“I am proud of the Serbian army and I am proud of its progress,” said President Aleksandar Vucic.

He said Serbia aims to buy 12 Rafale jets from France by “the beginning of next year” and is also negotiating with Britain for Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency, also attended the event.

He hailed the display as “proof of how much Serbia has progressed in terms of combat readiness.”

“With this army, Serbia can defend its people and be a deterrent. This is something that fills the hearts of all Serbs (with pride),” he said.

Earlier this month, Serbia reaffirmed its intention to purchase Turkiye’s Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, which have been in high demand around the world.

Countries including Ukraine, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Poland have already purchased the drones, with Poland becoming the first EU and NATO member state to acquire drones from Turkiye last May.