Serbia shows off Chinese missiles in Europe’s backyard

Serbia showcased both of its Chinese-made air defence missile systems at a military parade held in its capital city on Saturday, highlighting the two countries’ friendship amid ongoing regional tensions in Europe.

The “power of unity” military parade proceeded past the Palace of Serbia, with 10,000 personnel taking part alongside 2,500 pieces of military equipment and machinery, including ground vehicles, aircraft and naval vessels.

Saturday’s cavalcade spotlighted “a selection of state-of-the-art weaponry and military equipment in service with the Serbian armed forces” along with domestic military assets under development, according to the country’s defence ministry.

It marked the first time that the Chinese-made air defence missile systems FK-3 – an export variant of China’s HQ-22 medium-to-long range system – and the HQ-17AE short-range missile system had made an appearance together in Serbia.

The HQ-17AE is China’s export variant of the HQ-17A, a low-to-medium-altitude missile system.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (far-right) attends the military parade, which was the first to be organised by the country’s armed forces since 2014. Photo: Xinhua

Serbia is the first country in Europe to independently operate and maintain the FK-3 missile system, which has been compared to the Russian S-300 and American Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.

South China Morning Post