Serbia receives first Pantsir-S1 from Russia
The Serbian Ministry of Defence has received the first of six Pantsir-S1 missile defence systems from Russia, as agreed in a 2019 contract.
The delivery was made to Colonel-Pilot Milenko Pavlovic Airport in Batajnica according to Minister of Defence, Aleksandar Vulin.
Vulin told reporters on 22 February: ‘our ability to remain militarily neutral is further strengthened, which is a fundamental security commitment of the Commander-in-Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vicic, our Government and the Assembly.’
The system comprises SAMs, radar and 30mm cannons which are capable of intercepting cruise missiles, UAVs and aircraft at a maximum altitude of 15km and a range of 20km.
The initial Pantsir-S1 for Serbia arrived days after Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, visited Belgrade. Whilst Serbia is an EU candidate country, it remains diplomatically close with Russia and has ruled out accession to NATO.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
US Marine Corps force transformation on track, according to update
The US Marines Corps’ Force Design 2030 is about restructure, changes to operational concepts, a refresh of equipment and new categories of equipment. The review indicates a high level of success.
-
BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90120 medium tank takes shape
The new vehicle will be based on the CV90 Mk IV chassis and turret, and will be armed with a Rheinmetall 120mm L44A1 low recoil smoothbore gun.
-
Ukraine receives more Patriot batteries as Centauros break cover
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the arrival of more Patriot air defence systems in his country. The development follows the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha calling for 10 more systems last month and Zelenskyy reiterating the need for more.
-
Norway orders improved NASAMS technology as more countries sign up
The country’s air defence batteries will be equipped with new command posts, wheeled communication nodes and radios. The system itself is in service with more than 14 countries with 13 systems in Ukraine.
-
Ukraine’s ground robot army still finding its feet
Ukraine’s quest to replace soldiers with robots is hitting technical snags. Shephard spoke with industry leaders about difficulties in the field and what solutions are in the pipeline.