During the 1999 NATO air strikes on the fry, the Serbian 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade, then part of the Fry Air Defense Force, was Smash for shooting down an American F-117a stealth fighter. It was also the first time an anti-aircraft missile had shot down a stealth fighter on public record. More than 20 years later, Serbia’s heroic army is once again in the world’s spotlight with the public display of a newly revamped Chinese air defense system. What kind of experience is it to equip advanced Chinese weapons and equipment? How does Serbia’s 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade view China’s air defense weaponry? In a recent interview with the Global Times, the brigade’s air defense commander, Major Daribor alexic, shared his“Experience” in using China’s air defense weapons.
Behind the miracle of Human Air Defense Operation History
In April 2022, the news of a“China Y-20 transport plane transporting anti-aircraft missiles to Serbia” caused a sensation after it was reported by foreign media. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry later responded, in order to implement the bilateral cooperation plan between China and Serbia, China has dispatched Air Force transport planes to deliver conventional military supplies to Serbia, which is a cooperation project under the annual plan. A year later, the Ministry of Defense said on its website that the Ministry of Defense Minister and the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia, visited the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of Serbia equipped with the FK-3 air defence missile system. As the identity of the Serbian user of the Chinese foreign trade anti-aircraft missile was officially revealed, the legend of the brigade was retold on the internet.
“I must stress that I am very pleased that our brigade can also receive positive comments in such a great country as China,” Daribor Alexic told the global times, the 250th anti-aircraft Missile Brigade of Serbia was awarded the Order of the National Heroes of Serbia for its achievements and results during the NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, which is the highest honour available to Serbian forces. This honour is both a great honour and a responsibility for the entire brigade to maintain the reputation of their troops through dedication, not only in Serbia but also worldwide.
During the 1999 Air Defense Campaign, the U. S. F-117a stealth fighter was shot down by Sam-3 antiaircraft missiles of Serbia’s 250th anti-aircraft Missile Brigade. Sam-3 is the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, developed for the interception of low-altitude targets in the medium-range missile system. The U. S. F-117a was shot down by its stealth fighter is the world’s first operational application of stealth aircraft. The shooting down of an F-117a stealth fighter by the 250th anti-aircraft missile brigade using an old SAM-3 missile is still considered a miracle in the history of human air defense.
The wreckage of the U. S. F-117a stealth fighter, shot down by Serbia’s No. 250 anti-aircraft missile, is now in the Belgrade Air Museum. (image: Official Website of the Belgrade Air Museum)
Talking about the“Code” behind this miracle, Daribor Alexic explained that studying and studying the characteristics and tactics of various modern air attack weapons has always been a regular task for the officers and soldiers of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade. “Before the invasion, the 250th anti-aircraft missile brigade was fully trained to counter all possible NATO weapons involved in air strikes.” Veterans of that campaign were also well aware of the advanced F-117A aircraft in NATO’s arsenal. In that air defense battle, the training level of the officers and men of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade was confirmed.
“Despite the technological gap between the Yugoslavs and NATO at the time, through a combination of high-level combat training and tactical prowess, we achieved an unprecedented feat-the U.S. F-117A stealth fighter was considered radar-undetectable and invincible until it was shot down by the 250th anti-aircraft missile brigade,” Daribor Alexic said.
“We are very satisfied with China’s air defense missile system.”
Serbia has been unsparing in its public displays of Chinese weaponry since the purchase, and its politicians and military have expressed pride in equipping Chinese weapons systems on various occasions. The Serbian armed forces not only publicly displayed the chinese-developed FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system at the 2024’s June“Vidovdan Day” commemoration, also on display for the first time was the newly equipped Chinese HONGQI-17AE short-range air defense missile system. The Prime Minister of Serbia said at the event that the red flag-17AE would ensure better protection of Serbian airspace and co-ordinate with the country’s“Most powerful weapon”, the FK-3 air defence system.
Serbian military demonstrates red flag-17AE short-range anti-aircraft missile system. (source: Ministry of Defense)
At the end of last year, the Ministry of Defense showed the FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system of the 250th anti-aircraft Missile Brigade on its official website, and published an article saying, the chinese-made FK-3 is“A milestone in Serbia’s air defense system”. The airspace control and defense capabilities of the Serbian Air Force and air defense forces have been“Significantly improved” with the new FK-3 air defense missile system, this highly mobile missile system protects the skies of Serbia.
FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system of the 250th anti-aircraft missile brigade of Serbia. (source: Ministry of Defense)
As a“User” of the two anti-aircraft missile systems, DARIBOR alexic said, “The hands-on experience of the two weapons is very good.”. The 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade is satisfied with the operational capability, performance, reliability and ease of operation and maintenance of these two types of weapons.
The 250th anti-aircraft Missile Brigade conducts FK-3 anti-aircraft missile training. (image: Ministry of Defense)
“I would like to take this opportunity to place special emphasis on the excellent cooperation with representatives of the manufacturers, who have always been willing to meet our needs and adapt the system. The introduction of these two types of air defense systems has further strengthened the friendly cooperation between Serbia and china, “Said Daribor alexic.”.
The FK-3 made its debut at the China Air Show in 2014. It is a new all-weather medium-and long-range surface-to-air missile system independently developed by our country. It is mainly used for regional, point and field air defense, it can intercept all kinds of fixed-wing aircraft, cruise missiles, tactical air-to-ground missiles, helicopter gunships and other targets, including uavs. FK-3 has strong anti-jamming capability and integrated combat effectiveness. The launch mode is a four-tube inclined thermal launch, which can intercept air targets at the same time with 360 degrees. It has the characteristics of fast speed, fast steering, high maneuvering target interception, short reaction time and short launch interval.
The Serbian military also describes the defensive capabilities of the FK-3 Air Defense missile system on its official website: The FK-3 Air Defense missile system can protect government buildings, commercial facilities, military forces and territory from the threat of aerial reconnaissance and aerial attacks, effectively safeguarding the security of Serbia’s airspace.
“The introduction of the FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system has upgraded Serbia’s air defence system in all respects. Specifically, the range of reliable detection and tracking of targets has increased significantly, the damage area has expanded, the number of available target channels has increased, and the probability of destroying targets has increased. Serbia’s airspace protection capability has been improved in an all-round way,” Daribor Alexic said, the FK-3 air defence missile system is fully integrated into the Serbian command structure, which also ensures its interoperability with other modern operational equipment in the Serbian air defence system.
And Serbia introduced another chinese-developed short-range air defense missile system hongqi-17AE is known as“Low-altitude hunters.”. The highly integrated combat vehicle of this type of weapon system can operate independently, with the ability to search, track and launch missiles on the move. The combat altitude is 10 meters to more than 10 kilometers, a single combat vehicle can guide 4 missiles to intercept 4 targets at the same time, showing the excellent performance of the missile’s excellent maneuverability and strong multi-target ability.
“The deployment of the FK-3 and red flag-17AE has improved the efficiency of the Serbian military’s air alert system, which has proved to be a key factor in the success of modern armed conflicts. At the same time, they enhance their ability to protect their troops and vital facilities in their territory from all kinds of air attack weapons through mobile deployments or positional operations at wide ranges and altitudes,” Daribor alexic said.
“China’s Hongqi-19 anti-missile weapon system fascinates me”
Not long ago, our export-oriented fighter j-10CE for the first time achieved actual combat results, China’s weapons and equipment in the major international defense exhibition set off a“China trend.”. China’s foreign trade weapon systems, including the J-10CE, FK-3 air defense missile system and HONGQI-17AE short-range air defense missile system, have become the focus of foreign media attention because of their superior performance.
In Daribor Alexic’s opinion, Chinese military industry is definitely a“Treasure”. In addition to the FK-3 and the red flag-17AE, there are many other Chinese weapons systems that fascinate this“Weapons expert”.
“I will pay close attention to the latest achievements of foreign militaries in the development of weapons and military equipment, including Chinese weapons and equipment, because that is part of my job,” Daribor Alexic said, in particular, he said, some of the weapons systems that impressed him were“Undoubtedly the red flag-19 antimissile weapon system, which was 2024 for the first time at the Chinese air show.”, china’s fifth-generation fighter, the J-35A, is also superior. China also has a wide variety of excellent performance of drones, of which he is most concerned about the“Pterosaur” series of drones.