Special military shipment from China to Serbia

According to AP, Military and media experts said on April 10 that six large transport aircraft Y-20 of the Chinese Air Force had landed at the civilian Nikola Tesla airport in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, a days earlier.

This number of aircraft is said to be carrying the system rocket HQ-22 surface-to-air missile, a modern Chinese air defense system.

The Y-20 transport plane performs during the China International Aviation and Space Exhibition in Zhuhai City 2018. Photo: AP

The Serbian Ministry of Defense has not yet responded to AP’s request for comment.

However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic almost confirmed the transfer – which was agreed in 2019 – by announcing on April 9 that he would present the “latest pride” of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, according to the AP. Serbian army on April 12 or 13.

Earlier, Mr. Vucic complained that NATO countries – most of Serbia’s neighbors are NATO members – do not allow flights transporting the above system to fly over their territory on the grounds that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is ongoing. stress.

In 2020, US officials warned Belgrade against buying the HQ-22 system, an export version known as the FK-3. They say that if Serbia really wants to join the European Union (EU) and other Western alliances, it needs military equipment by Western standards.

China’s HQ-22 missile system has been compared by many to Russia’s S-300 surface-to-air missile system and America’s Patriot. However, experts say that it has a shorter range and is not as modern as the S-300.

Global Times China also reported on the above transfer on April 9. Although the Chinese government has not made an official announcement, but according to this newspaper, the Y-20 squadron actually made the flight as described by the US media.