Serbian Air Force Recommends Rafale jets, But Government Undecided Between Russian, French Warplanes

he Serbian Air Force has recommended that the country purchase French Rafale warplanes but the government is yet to decide between French or Russian fighter jets, Defence Minister Nebojša Stefanović told Radio-Television of Serbia today.

“According to what the Air Force told the President, they are more in favour of purchasing the French Rafale fighter jets, but after an in-depth analysis, we will see what the Armed Forces will decide on. Either way, a huge amount of money is in question, and that the matter is under strategic consideration,” Stefanović concluded.

Russia has pitched Su-30 fighter jets upgraded to the SU-30SM standard to its ally, Serbia with which it has extensive defense relationship.

Kornet anti-tank missiles

During the course of the Radio-Television talk, Stefanović, said that the “Cornet” (Kornet) anti-tank missiles made in Russia, which arrived in Serbia in mid-December, will be mounted on locally-made Miloš vehicles and issued primarily to the Army’s 72nd Special Operations.

“It is a really impressive weapon, it is a man-portable anti-tank system that can engage all armoured targets, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bunkers, both mobile and immobile targets, at distances of up to eight kilometres, which is a really impressive distance and the Serbian Armed Forces have a really powerful weapon now”, says Stefanović.

Serbia’s 2022 Procurement Plans: Three Mi-17, four Mi-35s, two CASA C-295 aircraft

In 2022, we will get six new Noras, six new domestic howitzers to complete one full division, we currently have 12 of them, but we will have 18 next year, 12 new PASARS systems, 18 new Lazars, 20 new Miloš vehicles, 10 new MRAPs – these are armoured personnel carriers with the highest degree of protection, 2,000 new ballistic equipment kits and 2,000 modular rifles produced by “Zastava”, said Stefanović.

We will also get three Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, 18 sets of (French) Mistral anti-tank missiles that will be mounted on PASARS systems, five Little Miloš vehicles, 66 Hummers, and 10 BOV armoured vehicles.

“We will receive four Mi-35s over the next few years, four helicopters that we ordered from the Russian Federation. These are real flying beasts armed with very powerful weapons, two CASA C-295 transport aircraft that will help our Air Force personnel acquire a new ability, because these are serious transport aircraft, and very important for paratroopers,” says Stefanović.

“It is only what we have already paid for and that has already been produced mostly by domestic factories,” the Minister said. In addition, he says, 22 new radars have been agreed upon, which will arrive in the forthcoming years, and that will increase the Air Force’s capability to monitor the entire territory.

He points out that 10 X-145 “Airbus” helicopters and two new Pantsir batteries will arrive in the coming years. “This will significantly strengthen and provide greater security to our sky,” he added.