Serbia Prefers Turkish Bayraktar UAVs Over Chinese Ch-95 for Attack Drone Requirement

Serbia has sought Turkey-made Bayraktar UAVs over Chinese Ch-95 drones for its attack drone requirement, its President Aleksandar Vučić disclosed.

A request has been made from President Vučić to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to supply Bayraktar drones, the Serbian defense ministry reported that the President made the diclosure while attending the attending the "Fire Shield 2022"exercise conducted by the Serbian military over the weekend.

Erdogan promises Serbia early delivery fo Bayraktar drones

“We have “Sparrow” UAVs for aerial observation, we have CH-92 drones of small destructive power, we will procure CH-95 drones whose destructive power is greater; but two days ago I asked for Bayraktar UAVs from President Erdogan and he promised that we would jump the queue and get the opportunity to buy Turkish Bayraktars and introduce them into the Serbian Armed Forces’ armament," the President was quoted as saying by the MoD.

He said that the military leadership were looking forward to the procurement of Bayraktars, but that it was uncertain when we would be able to purchase and receive them.

Serbia had earlier inducted CH-92A drones, also called ‘Rainbow’ along with 18 FT-C or FT-D missiles. As part of the deal, China was to help Serbia develop its own drone program called ‘Pegasus.’

New Pride of the Serbian Armed Forces

In a significant comment, the President said: "In the coming days, on Tuesday or Wednesday, we will show you the new pride of the Serbian Armed Forces, something that will dramatically enhance our combat capabilities.”

The President’s comment conicides with the arrival on April 9, in Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade of six Chinese Y-20 heavy lift aircraft carrying an unknown military cargo. Chinese media speculated that the aircraft could be delivering the FK-3, the export version of the Chinese HQ-22 surface-to-air missile system.

Serbia had ordered the FK-3 system in 2020.