Chinese defense firms show off counter-drone tech at Serbia arms show

Belgrade, Serbia – Chinese defense companies are tapping into Serbia’s market potential, striving to further expand their activities within the country and the wider Balkan region, manufacturers say.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace referred to Serbia as China’s “open-door” to the Balkan region in a 2019 report. Four years later, their relationship is strengthening, as demonstrated at a Serbian government-sponsored Partner 23 defense exhibition held in Belgrade this week.

Thus far, Chinese military exports have not enjoyed the same level of success in other parts of the region, although many Balkan countries have opened themselves to Chinese firms in infrastructure sectors.

Ahead of the Partner 23 fair, Serbia was the guest country of honor at the 23rd Chinese International Fair for Investment and Trade on Sept. 9. One of the objectives of the conference is to promote Serbian investment policies and environment, according to a statement published on the social media of the organizers.

In the context of the Belgrade defense event taking place here, three of four Chinese defense companies present reported that this was their first time attending.

“There is an obvious interest in the Serbian market, as for most Chinese companies here, it is our first time at the fair, showing part of our products for the first time as well in Europe, so there has been an expansion in our [China-based exhibitors] presence,” a representative of China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corp. said.

CNPMIEC promoted itself as China’s largest missile weapons systems supplier. It displayed laser weapon systems, including the LW-30, which uses high energy beams to strike incoming targets, including low-altitude and low-speed drones. It is suited for forces looking to gain airspace control and air defenses, as it is able to implement hard and soft kill of threats within three kilometers (1.87 miles).

China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation display at Partner 23 defense fair in Belgrade.

Another newcomer was ELINC China , which produces electronic warfare and counter-drone systems. Among its best-sellers, also displayed at the fair but not labeled, is the CHL-906 multifunction radar jamming and electronic intelligence station, that can be sold in different configurations.

“As first time exhibitors, we are interested in expanding into Serbia and the Balkan region markets. We are open and ready to cooperate with Serbian industry,” Sun Xuming, assistant general manager at ELINC’s Eurasian Department said.

This sentiment was also echoed by a representative of Norinco Group, a Chinese state-owned defense firm that attended an earlier edition of the Belgrade fair. The company placed at the forefront of its booth mock-ups of anti-tank missiles and armored vehicles, including the VN22 6x6 infantry fighting vehicle.

Norinco display at Partner 23 defense trade show in Belgrade.

Surprisingly, almost no drones were displayed by Chinese firms. One of the only visible ones was the Wing Loong II, showcased on the stand of CATIC, also exhibiting for the first time.

No company officials were available to comment on whether they intended to push a possible sale of the Wing Loong II to the Serbian military. Belgrade currently lacks a MALE category drone comparable to the MQ-9 Reaper.

Peter Voinovich, editor-in-chief of Serbian aviation news portal TangoSix, said he is doubtful the country has any interest in it.

“Serbia, at least publicly, has not expresesed an interest in getting the Wing Loong II, as a medium-altitude long-endurance capability,” he said. “The MoD strategy has been to gradually introduce foreign drones for the purpose of fulfilling urgent needs, which manifested in acquiring the Chinese CH-92A and follow-on CH-95 systems.”

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

塞尔维亚贝尔格莱德——制造商表示，中国国防企业正在挖掘塞尔维亚的市场潜力，努力进一步扩大其在该国及更广泛的巴尔干地区的业务。

卡内基国际和平基金会在2019年的一份报告中将塞尔维亚称为中国通往巴尔干地区的“门户”。四年后，两国关系日益加强，本周在贝尔格莱德举行的由塞尔维亚政府主办的“伙伴23”防务展便证明了这一点。

迄今为止，中国军工出口在该地区其他地区尚未取得同样的成功，尽管许多巴尔干国家已向中国企业开放基础设施领域。

在“合作伙伴23”交易会召开前夕，塞尔维亚于9月9日作为主宾国出席了第23届中国国际投资贸易交易会。据主办方在社交媒体上发布的声明称，此次会议的目标之一是推广塞尔维亚的投资政策和环境。

在本次贝尔格莱德防务展的背景下，参展的四家中国国防企业中有三家表示，这是他们第一次参加。

“塞尔维亚市场显然很受关注，因为对这里的大多数中国公司来说，这是我们第一次参加这个展会，也是第一次在欧洲展示我们的部分产品，所以我们（中国参展商）的参展规模有所扩大，”中国精密机械进出口总公司的一位代表表示。

中国导弹与导弹工程公司（CNPMIEC）自诩为中国最大的导弹武器系统供应商。该公司展示了包括LW-30在内的激光武器系统。LW-30利用高能激光束打击来袭目标，包括低空低速无人机。它适用于寻求控制空域和进行防空作战的部队，因为它能够在三公里（1.87英里）范围内对威胁进行硬杀伤和软杀伤。

中国精密机械进出口总公司在贝尔格莱德举行的第23届合作伙伴防务展上展出展品。

另一家新参展商是ELINC China，该公司生产电子战和反无人机系统。其畅销产品之一是CHL-906多功能雷达干扰和电子情报站，该产品也在展会上展出，但未贴标签，并可根据不同需求配置出售。

“作为首次参展商，我们有兴趣拓展塞尔维亚和巴尔干地区市场。我们持开放态度，并准备与塞尔维亚产业界合作，”ELINC欧亚部门助理总经理孙旭明表示。

中国国有国防企业北方工业集团的一位代表也表达了类似的观点。该公司曾参加过此前的贝尔格莱德防务展，并在展位上重点展示了反坦克导弹和装甲车辆的模型，其中包括VN22 6x6步兵战车。

北方工业公司在贝尔格莱德举行的第23届合作伙伴防务贸易展上展出产品。

令人惊讶的是，中国企业几乎没有展出任何无人机。为数不多的几款无人机之一是中航工业展台上的翼龙II，该公司也是首次参展。

公司官员均未就其是否计划向塞尔维亚军方出售翼龙II无人机发表评论。贝尔格莱德目前缺乏可与MQ-9“死神”无人机相媲美的中空长航时无人机。

塞尔维亚航空新闻门户网站 TangoSix 的总编辑彼得·沃伊诺维奇表示，他怀疑该国对此有任何兴趣。

他说：“塞尔维亚至少在公开场合没有表示对购买翼龙II无人机（一种中空长航时无人机）感兴趣。国防部的战略是逐步引进外国无人机以满足紧急需求，这体现在采购中国的CH-92A和后续的CH-95系统上。”

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。