Serbia has opened a new plant for the assembly of Israeli drones and plans to establish additional production facilities

Serbia has opened a new plant for the assembly of drones developed by the Israeli defense industry. Production will be geared toward the needs of the Serbian armed forces, with part of the output also intended for export, BalkanEngineer.com learned from SeeNews. The facility will create about 100 jobs.

The opening of the plant was announced by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who noted that the country has significantly larger plans for joint production with Israeli partners. According to him, discussions are underway regarding the establishment of at least three more plants in different parts of Serbia. Details regarding the production capacity and the size of the investment in the new plant have not yet been disclosed.

Among the systems set to enter production in Serbia is the Lanius-X small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Israel’s Elbit Systems. The trade publication Jane’s reports that the plans also include the FireFox and Magni models. These are designed for various tasks, including reconnaissance and short-range operations. The new production is part of broader cooperation between Serbia and the Israeli defense industry. Belgrade announced its intention to jointly produce unmanned systems back in April, with the project linked to the modernization of the armed forces and the development of the local defense sector.

At the same time, Serbia is developing its own capabilities for the design and production of unmanned systems. Local companies are working on various classes of drones, components, electronics, and software, and the country has been increasing its investment in the sector in recent years.

Photo source: ©Engineer BG via Canva.com