Serbia received a powerful Chinese anti-aircraft system in a covert operation this weekend, amid Western concerns that an arms buildup in the Balkans during the Ukraine conflict could jeopardize the region's fragile stability, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
According to the publication, a total of six Chinese Air Force Y-20 cargo planes landed at Belgrade's civilian airport early Saturday, allegedly delivering HQ-22 surface-to-air missile systems for the Serbian military.
At Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport, Chinese freight jets with military markings were spotted. The US experts reportedly viewed the transfer of armaments over the territory of at least two NATO member states, Turkey and Bulgaria, as a symbol of China's expanding global reach.
"The Y-20s’ appearance raised eyebrows because they flew en masse as opposed to a series of single-aircraft flights,” The Drive's Stetson Payne and Tyler Rogoway offered. "The Y-20′s presence in Europe in any numbers is also still a fairly new development."
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday that he will reveal "the newest pride" of the Serbian military on Tuesday or Wednesday, thus purportedly implying that it is the medium-range system which was agreed upon in 2019.
He had previously claimed that NATO nations, who constitute the majority of Serbia's neighbors, are refusing to let the system's delivery planes pass over their territory due to concerns over Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine.
According to the report, in 2020, US officials cautioned Belgrade against buying HQ-22 anti-aircraft systems, which are also known as FK-3 in their export variant. They claimed that if Serbia is serious about joining the European Union and other Western alliances, it must align its military arsenal to meet Western standards.
Although it has a lesser range than the more advanced Russian S-300s, the Chinese missile system has been frequently compared to the American Patriot and S-300 surface-to-air missile systems. Serbia will be the first European country to use Chinese missiles, if their delivery is confirmed.
Serbia reportedly received Chengdu Pterodactyl-1 drones, also known as Wing Loong in China, in 2020. The combat drones may utilize bombs and missiles to hit targets, and can also be used for reconnaissance.