Serbia Opens Israeli Drone Assembly Plant in Belgrade, Vucic Says

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has said he inaugurated an assembly factory for Israeli drones in the Balkan country, announcing the move in a social media post rather than before the press.

According to Vucic, the Belgrade facility will employ roughly 100 people and turn out what he described as highly modern equipment, destined for the Serbian military as well as for armed forces in other countries. He said he could not invite journalists to the inauguration because of the confidentiality of the production process, and no further details about the plant were disclosed.

Video footage from the visit showed Vucic touring the factory floor and inspecting a drone. In one exchange, an employee explained the layout of a central computer board, a navigation board and the main power board. Vucic remarked that the technology looked even more complicated than he had expected.

In a separate clip, the president described how the drones are operated and said Serbian personnel train with them at the site. He claimed the aircraft are capable of flying through windows while pursuing a target, calling them highly efficient, and said he was pleased that the country had reached this level of development. He also said warheads for the drones will be produced at Serbia's Krusik weapons factory.

Vucic had announced in April that Serbia would manufacture combat drones together with Israel as part of efforts to strengthen its armed forces. At the time, the regional news service BIRN reported that Serbia's state arms producer Yugoimport SDPR would open a drone plant with Israel's Elbit Systems.

Belgrade has pursued a broad military modernisation in recent years. In 2024 it ordered 12 French-made Rafale fighter jets, while also acquiring equipment from China and Russia even as it formally seeks membership of the European Union.