Serbia announced on Tuesday that it will acquire cluster bombs, a form of drone that flies toward its target and explodes, from the UAE. This is to mark its ongoing estrangement from Russia, its longstanding friend and weapons supplier.
President Aleksandar Vucic said at a military show in Abu Dhabi, UAE, that “we will sign a deal (for ammunition) in the next 48 hours.”
At a speech carried live on Serbian television, he informed reporters, “These are suicide drones and they will be in Serbia. We expect that the first domestic suicide drones will be with the Serbian military within five to six months.”
Vucic didn’t say how many cluster bombs Belgrade will get from the UAE, their price, or maker.
Serbia, an EU aspirant, has been under pressure from the West to cut relations with Russia, a longstanding friend of Orthodox Christians and Slavs, since Moscow’s catastrophic invasion of Ukraine about a year ago. Serbia has voted against Russia three times since the invasion.
Meanwhile, Belgrade has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow. Vucic said on Monday that Serbia would spend 700 million euros ($746.62 million) on MI-35 fighter planes. And attack helicopters by 2023 while using largely Russian missile and radar systems for air defense.
Soviet T-72 tanks and infantry combat vehicles equip its ground troops. The employs medium-range surface-to-air missiles and Chinese surveillance and combat drones. Vucic said Serbia requested French Rafale multirole aircraft last year. He added on Monday that talks were ongoing over the price, which he estimated at approximately 3 billion euros. ($
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