Serbia Receives Chinese CH-92A Attack Drones

Chinese "Rainbow" CH-92A attack drones arrived at Bataitsa Military Airport near the Serbian capital of Belgrade today.

A cargo plane landed in Bataitsa, which transported the CH-92A to Serbia, local media reports said quoting military sources. The exact number of drones has not been established, but the acquisition of two systems, i.e., six of this type, is capable of carrying missile weapons and grenades, the reports said.

Earlier reports said that Serbia will take delivery of 9 reconnaissance/combat drones with a possible follow-up order of an additional 15 drones. The wingspan of CH-92A is less than 10 meters. The flight range is 150km. The drone can fly at a height of 5km at a speed of up to 200 km/h.

Aleksandar Vulin, defense minister of the Republic of Serbia, had said in a September 2019 interview with Radio-Television Serbia that the procurement of the Chinese armed drones will give the Serbian Armed Forces capabilities they do not have now.

Serbian Assistant Minister of Defense for Material Resources, Nenad Miloradovic had stated at the 2019 Dubai Air Show that the goal of buying the CH-92A is complementary use with the locally made under-development Pegasus drone. The Chinese manufacturer will also transfer technology to help mature the Pegasus.

While the value of the contract has not been confirmed, a 2018 report quoting the President of Serbia said, “these are 2 to 3 aircraft batteries totaling 30 million dollars." He was replying to reporters' questions during a visit to a military facility.

While some reports in the Western media claimed that the drones were the popular Wing Loong-1, it has now been confirmed that the drones in question are the Rainbow CH-92A. The drones will come equipped with the FT-8D air-to-surface missile confirming their armed role.