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NYT: Serbian Purchase of Missile Defence System Shows Ties Deepening with China

Mon August, 2020, Age: 4 years

A Serbian state-run arms company’s annual report, released last week, reported the purchase of armed drones and the FK-3 missile defence system from China. This marks the first time that a European state will operate the FK-3 system. In late June, Serbia’s air force received 6 Caihong CH-92A combat drones, marking the first deployment of  Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles in Europe. Chinese drones, which have previously been deployed in proxy wars throughout the Middle East, are seen as a low-cost alternative to US-made drones such as the Reaper and Predator. Purchase of American drone systems is also heavily restricted by the U.S.’s existing international arms treaty obligations. These obligations are not shared by China, which has been happy to sell its weapons systems to anyone willing to pay.