Serbian parade highlights military modernisation

The Elbit Hermes 900. (Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia)

The Serbian Armed Forces displayed its latest equipment during a major parade in Belgrade on 20 September, with the most significant new acquisitions coming from Israel and Russia.

The ‘Strength of Unity' parade was the first such event since 2014 and, unlike its predecessor, did not mark a significant anniversary. It was also far larger, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) saying it involved around 10,000 personnel, 600 vehicles, 70 aircraft, and 20 riverine vessels.

The new Israeli equipment included an Elbit Systems Hermes 900 long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was displayed on a transporter without its wings and a single Elbit PULS multiple artillery rocket/missile launcher.

The commentator for the television coverage of the parade said the Hermes 900 was in service with the 353rd Reconnaissance Squadron, which operates the Serbian Air Force's smaller UAVs.

The PULS was fitted with one pod containing four munitions and another with two munitions, indicating Serbia has acquired Elbit's 306 mm EXTRA and 370 mm Predator Hawk missiles.

Serbia was presumed to have ordered both types since President Aleksandar Vučić announced on 19 November 2024 that contracts had been signed for the “most powerful rocket artillery systems [and] perhaps some of the best drone systems in the world that should reach us as early as 2025.”

A day earlier Elbit announced that it had signed contracts worth USD335 million with an undisclosed European country covering the PULS with munitions and Hermes 900 with advanced payloads. It said deliveries would be completed three and a half years from then.