As part of the modernization strategy, the Serbian Armed Forces plan to overhaul 30 BTR-80A armored vehicles by the end of this year. Once the work is completed, these vehicles will be integrated into the equipment of the armored and reconnaissance battalion stationed in Niš, in the south of the country.
Next month, Serbia is scheduled to receive 16 additional vehicles of this type from Hungary. It is worth noting that the BTR-80A armored personnel carriers were manufactured in the Soviet Union in the early 1970s and 1980s, and mass production began in 1984.
Serbia: Russian armored vehicles from Hungary added to the army’s equipment
2023 turned out to be a record year for Serbia in terms of investments in weapons. Belgrade acquired, among others, 11 Russian Mi-35 helicopters from Cyprus and an anti-drone system from Russia. Chinese CH-95 drones and the FK-3 air defense system also arrived in the country.
However, the most controversial element of the Serbian weapons program is the purchase of Dassault Rafale multi-role fighters from France, which was agreed at the beginning of April this year between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and French President Emmanuel Macron. Critics of the move fear, according to the Associated Press, that the sale of advanced French aircraft would encourage Vucic to intervene militarily in neighboring Kosovo.
Serbia lost control of Kosovo after the NATO military campaign in 1999, and has since refused to recognize the independence of its former province, which was declared in 2008. Both countries accuse the other of seeking armed conflict and escalating tensions. Therefore, Serbia’s increased activity in the field of arms may aggravate the situation in this already tense region.
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