At the end of last year, the Serbian Ministry of Defense released a statement indicating that "the system for controlling and protecting the country's airspace has been significantly improved" through the equipping of the air forces and air defense troops with new Chinese FK-3 surface-to-air missile systems, which are now under the command of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade. This essentially marks the official conclusion of the integration process for this system.
The Ministry of Defense has been full of praise for this system, which has become "the missile shield of Serbian skies." Captain 1st Rank Stefan Manić, commander of the missile battery, highlighted that the adoption of the Chinese FK-3 is a "turning point in air defense operations," noting its "exceptional jamming resistance and anti-missile measures," as well as its modern technologies and "remarkable fire capabilities" in terms of being able to engage six targets simultaneously with 12 missiles.
It is worth recalling that Serbia has faced criticism for purchasing the surface-to-air missile system from China since 2020, when it was revealed in the annual report of the Serbian Jugoimport-SDPR that the Chinese FK-3 (the export version of the HQ-22 missile system) was selected for the Serbian military, winning the competition against the Russian S-300 missile system.
This was indeed an interesting twist in history, as it was unofficially believed in Serbia that the obvious choice would be the S-300/C-400, and the Russians were confident that the Serbian military would ultimately opt for the S-300PMU-2, with deliveries expected to commence in 2021. However, it seems that China was able to offer Serbia more favorable terms for the supply of the missile system. Deliveries of the missile system to Serbia began in 2022.
Today, the purchase of the Chinese missile system for Serbia is advantageous in that the country is currently facing challenges in servicing Soviet and Russian-made equipment, as noted previously by the chief of staff of the armed forces.
As for the tactical and technical characteristics of the FK-3 missile system, it can destroy targets traveling at speeds of up to 1000 m/s at altitudes of up to 27 km and ranges of up to 100 km. In Serbia, this missile system will protect the country's political-administrative and economic facilities "from reconnaissance and actions from the air."
According to the Military Balance handbook, as of 2024, Serbia is armed with four launchers of the FK-3 surface-to-air missile system manufactured in China.