Partner 2021: Serbia to buy two C295 airlifters and more H145M helicopters, shows new weapons and equipment

Yugoimport's new Lazanski 8×8 ACV was unveiled at Partner 2021. (Igor Bozinovski)

Serbia will buy two C295 transport aircraft and a larger number of H145M helicopters from Airbus, Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović announced on the first day of the Partner 2021 international defence exhibition held in Belgrade from 11 to 14 October.

Partner 2021 unveiled new locally developed military equipment. This included Yugoimport's Lazanski 8×8 armoured combat vehicle (ACV), shown alongside two new versions of the Lazar III 8×8 ACV: the Lazar III A1 infantry fighting vehicle and Lazar III P infantry combat support armoured vehicle.

Serbia's new 8 km range Nova 145 (145 mm) anti-tank guided missile was shown integrated into a new version of the BOV M16 Miloš 4×4 multipurpose armoured vehicle featuring a remote operated weapon station armed with four Nova 145 containers and a modernised NSV 12.7×108 mm heavy machine gun. Exhibited next to it for the first time was the 2.5 km range Nova 145 portable fire-and-forget light anti-tank missile.

Also shown for the first time was the Gavran (Raven) 145 low-cost loitering area denial long-range surveillance and strike system on a 3.5-tonne 4×4 truck modified by Srboauto carrying 18 containers from which two types of loitering munitions can be launched: the Gavran 2 with four folding wings and a 20 kg warhead powered by a twin-blade Śmigła Biela electric-driven push propeller with a range of up to 80 km and Gavran 145 with two folding wings powered by a two-cylinder gasoline engine with a 15 kg payload capacity and a range of 150 km.

New versions were unveiled of the Mali (Little) Miloš unmanned ground vehicle and Obad (Horsefly) armed unmanned multicopter, both armed with a pair of M79 Osa (Wasp) 90 mm reloadable anti-tank rocket launchers.