10 February 2021

Serbian president plans to invest more in armed forces

by Igor Bozinovski

Serbia will invest more money in the Vojska Srbije (Serbian Armed Forces, SAF), President Aleksandar Vučić said on 7 February after attending exercise ‘Vrh Koplja (Spearhead) 2021’ at Rastko Nemanjić barracks in Pančevo, involving the SAF’s 72nd Special Operations Brigade.

Serbia’s 72nd Special Operations Brigade has 10 BOV M16 Miloš MPAVs (right) and five Mali Miloš armed UGVs (left) and will receive 20 more M16 MPAVs by the end of 2021, President Aleksandar Vučić said on 7 February after attending exercise 'Vrh Koplja 2021', involving the brigade with those vehicles. (Serbian MoD)

Vučić said the brigade has 10 BOV M16 Miloš 4×4 multipurpose armoured vehicles (MPAVs) and five Mali (Little) Miloš armed unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and will receive 20 more M16 MPAVs by the end of the year.

On 6 February, Serbian Defence Minister Nebojša Stefanović told Serbia’s Politika newspaper that Serbia would receive four more upgraded MiG-29 fighters donated by Belarus during the second quarter of this year, bringing the total to 14. He expected the local upgrade of the other 10 MiG-29s to be completed by June and the delivery of 19 more T-72B1MS main battle tanks and 20 modernised BRDM-2M armoured reconnaissance vehicles this year, bringing the number to 30 each.

Serbia will also receive Mistral 3 manportable air-defence systems this year and by the end of 2021 the number of domestically produced NORA-B52 M15 155 mm self-propelled howitzers in service with the SAF will be increased from six to 18, bringing the artillery unit they equip to full strength, Stefanović said.

Serbia will invest more money in the Vojska Srbije (Serbian Armed Forces, SAF), President Aleksandar...

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