Serbia confirmed that it recently purchased Chinese CM-400AKG air-to-ground ballistic missiles for its air force, with President Aleksandar Vucic saying the country is becoming the "first European operator of the weapon", Reuters reported. The announcement was made late yesterday on Serbian state broadcaster RTS, days after the first images of the missiles mounted on a Serbian aircraft were leaked online. Vucic said that the country's air force has adapted its MiG-29 fighter jets to carry the CM-400AKG, BTA reported.
The Chinese-made "China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation" (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation – CASIC) supersonic air-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of up to 400 km can carry a 150 kg explosive warhead or a 200 kg penetrating warhead, Reuters notes. Its first combat use was during the India-Pakistan conflict in 2025.
Serbia has allocated about 2.6 percent of GDP to military spending this year and has already purchased the FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system and CH-92A combat drones from China, Reuters notes. At the same time, the country has ordered 12 new Rafale fighter jets from the French company "Dassault", as well as helicopters and cargo planes from "Airbus".
Croatia – a member of the EU and NATO and an enemy of Serbia during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, criticized Serbia's purchase of the missiles as a threat to regional stability, an attempt to change the military balance and a sign of a growing arms race in the Balkans, Reuters also reported.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told RTS that Zagreb was "the main logistical support for the destruction of Serbia over the past year and a half". He accused Croatia of trying to dominate and humiliate Serbia, as well as launching the "false Sarajevo Safari affair".
Vucic also commented that Croatia was surprised by the capabilities of the Serbian Air Force after seeing the CM-400AKG hypersonic missiles.
"These are air-to-ground missiles that hit targets on the ground at a distance of up to 200 and up to 400 kilometers. They are terribly expensive and effective, and we received a small discount," the Serbian president said, quoted by the regional TV channel En1.
Vucic stressed that Serbia would continue to maintain "honest and good relations with NATO", including through future exercises, but had no intention of joining the alliance. He added that the country is preparing for a possible attack from Albania, Croatia and Kosovo, with these countries forming a military alliance that is "directly aimed at Serbia". Vucic assured citizens that the country has "enough strength for a clear deterrent message" and "a stronger army than all the countries of the former Yugoslavia".