China safeguards the air in Serbia
Serbia is China’s largest BRI beachhead in Europe, and soon a Chinese weapon system will safeguard the country’s skies. Serbia has ordered three batteries of the advanced ‘FK-3’ air defence system, as the first European country ever. Just last month, Serbia received six China-made CH-92A armed UAVs, a European first as well [Serbian purchase of missile defence system shows ties deepening with China].
The FK-3 is a medium-range radar-guided (semi-active) surface-to-air missile system. It is the export variant of the HQ-22, which forms the backbone of China’s mid-range air defence. The FK-3 is manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).
One FK-3 battery typically consists of a loader-vehicle, a radar vehicle, a command-vehicle, and three launch-vehicles with four missiles each. The missiles have a range of 5 to 100 kilometers and an operating altitude of 50 to 27.000 meters.
An FK-3 missile can intercept fixed-wing aircrafts, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and air-to-surface missiles. The launch-vehicle is based on an 8x8 on-road chassis. The H-200 PESA engagement-radar can simultaneously guide six missiles to three targets (2 missiles per target).
In Serbia, the FK-3 will cooperate with the Russian Pantsir S1 anti-aircraft system, which was delivered in February. Additionally, Serbia is said to be negotiating with China for the purchase of the LD-2000 land-based CIWS, aimed at short-range targets.
The CH-92A and FK-3 deals with Serbia give China’s defense-export a foothold in Europe. And, depending on the exact terms of the agreement, an eye on the southern European sky.
In other recent news: Serbia has started talks with the state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) for a deal for a massive $2.4 billion upgrade of the Belgrade-Niš-Presevo railway line. Presevo is a strategically located town and transport hub, close to the borders of both Kosovo and North Macedonia. The project will be financed by a loan from China [Serbia in talks on 2 bln euro railway overhaul project with China's CRBC].
And whereas Huawei is under increased scrutiny in Western Europe, it continues to make inroads into Serbia. The company and the Serbian government have been working on a ‘Safe City’ and ‘Smart City’ projects since early 2019. These are basically advanced surveillance and control systems, monitoring everything from crime to traffic to utilities. The first city to receive such a system was Niš, and the capital Belgrade is next. The city has ordered “thousands” of facial recognition cameras plus a supporting artificial intelligence software system.
Eyes on sky, eyes on the streets, and a railway to a hot spot: China is well underway in Serbia.
For more on China’s adventures in Serbia, please see Silk Road Headlines 18-09-2019.
Tycho de Feijter
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