Serbian Deputy Defence Minister Nenad Miloradovic on 17 September confirmed that Serbia will buy unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) from China.
Miloradovic made his statement, broadcast by the Tanjug state news agency, in Beijing a day after several Belgrade media reported that Serbia would acquire six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from China, including two Chengdu Aircraft Industry Wing Loong II medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UCAVs. According to media, the UAVs will be assembled locally in Serbia using Chinese-supplied technology.
Miloradovic did not comment on what systems were being procured but said the agreement included industrial co-operation and technology transfer. “The technology transfer will provide the Serbian defence industry with the capability to integrate complex electro-optical (EO) systems into indigenously developed UAVs capable of conducting battlefield surveillance day and night, transmitting target co-ordinates and providing artillery fire control, and targeting with laser-guided bombs and rockets launched from ground-based platforms or UCAVs,” he said.
