Serbia pitches ballistic missiles to Uzbekistan — does it produce any?
Serbia plans to begin producing long-range ballistic missiles within a year and is ready to cooperate with Uzbekistan, President Aleksandar Vucic has said. Belgrade has yet to disclose the projectile’s range or specifications.
Vucic has made the offer at a Serbia-Uzbekistan business forum during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s first official visit to Belgrade on 7-8 September.
«We already produce those with a shorter range. In a year, we will begin producing long-range ballistic missiles, and we are ready to cooperate in this field with our brothers and friends from Uzbekistan,» Vucic said, as quoted by local media outlet Politika.
He said Serbia was sourcing technology from unspecified countries while transferring some of its domestic expertise to others.
Defence cooperation was notably absent from the Serbian government’s published list of 20 bilateral documents exchanged during the visit.
Read more: Serbia moves to become Uzbekistan’s first free-trade partner in Europe
What ballistic missiles can Serbia manufacture?
The former Yugoslavia left Serbia with a strong defence industry. The missile industry includes Yugoimport-SDPR, Military Technical Institute, EDePro, Krušik, and Teleoptik.
Its most relevant domestic project is the Šumadija multiple-launch rocket system and its 400mm Jerina-1 tactical ballistic missile. EDePro says the solid-fuel weapon can strike stationary targets at up to 280 kilometres and carry a 200kg warhead. It uses inertial navigation that can be combined with GPS.
Ballistic missiles that travel less than 1,000 kilometres are classified as short-range under international standards. Vucic’s description of the planned weapon as «long-range» cannot be evaluated until Belgrade reveals its intended range.
Serbia uses foreign long-range weapons. It became the first European operator of China’s CM-400AKG air-launched ballistic missile, which has a range of 400 kilometres. Serbian MiG-29 fighters were modified to carry it, Reuters reported. The purchase shows integration skills, not missile production.
Has Serbia exported missiles?
Serbia has exported rockets and other munitions, although there is no confirmed public record of a Jerina-1 or domestically manufactured long-range ballistic missile being delivered abroad.
In 2013, Yugoimport-SDPR and the UAE’s Emirates Advanced Research and Technology Holding signed an agreement to develop and supply the Serbian ALAS guided missile system.
The Serbian government valued the planned programme at more than €200m and said it would lead to the joint production and delivery of missiles and components for the UAE. Public information does not establish how many complete systems the company ultimately delivered.
