Plant for assembly of Israeli drones opened – At least three more such facilities planned

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced the opening of a factory for assembling Israeli-made drones. The facility is expected to employ around 100 workers and manufacture equipment intended for the Serbian Armed Forces as well as the armed forces of other countries.

On Instagram, Vucic described the drones as “state-of-the-art,” noting that journalists had not been invited to tour the factory due to the confidential nature of the production process.

Vucic did not disclose the factory’s location. Previously, when discussing the site of the new production facility, he mentioned it would be located near Belgrade in a smaller town, noting that it might be within the territory of the Cukarica municipality. In August, the Jordanian news portal Roya News reported that the factory was planned for the industrial zone in Simanovci.

According to Vucic, the plan is for Serbia, in cooperation with Israeli partners, to open at least three additional factories at various locations across the country.

– Our plans are ambitious – Vucic stated, adding that a portion of the equipment and the production process would be presented to the public.

The opening of the factory follows earlier announcements regarding cooperation between Serbia and the Israeli company Elbit Systems in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production. According to The Times of Israel, the joint facility is intended to manufacture drones for Serbian needs and for export, with Elbit holding a 51% stake and the Serbian state-owned company Jugoimport-SDPR holding the remaining 49%.

Back in August, Vucic announced that an Israeli drone factory would open in September, while the Ministry of Defense had previously stated that Serbia was working on expanding the capacity of its domestic defense industry and developing new unmanned systems.

Predsedništvo Republike Srbije

president of Serbia

Aleksandar Vučić

drones

drone factory