Serbian military gets reconnaissance drones and missiles from China
- It’s the first Chinese arms deal with a European country, but the value is not known
- Belgrade is trying to balance relations with Beijing, Moscow and Brussels
Six CH-92A drones and 18 FT-8C air-to-ground missiles were delivered to the Serbian Armed Forces to boost its reconnaissance capabilities, the country’s defence ministry said in a statement.
“This is becoming a modern way of warfare. In that respect we were unable and we [previously] had no chance whatsoever to compete with more serious countries,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said as he inspected a military airbase in Batajnica, near Belgrade, on Saturday.
“Now we are starting, and it is important that we have agreed technology transfer with the Chinese side, so that our Pegasus can as well be slowly introduced into the system of the Serbian Armed Forces,” he said, according to the ministry, referring to drones developed by Serbia.
The value of the deal with China is not known, but Vucic said the weapons were “not expensive” and his country would buy more.
