Serbia celebrates Victory, Army Day, presents new armaments

Serbia celebrates Victory, Army Day, presents new armaments

Soldiers fired live ammunition from artillery and missile weapons, and demonstrated performance and capabilities of tanks, aircraft, and infantry weapons. Among them were multi-role armored vehicles Milos and Lazar, Morava and Oganj multiple rocket launcher systems that fired at targets 12 kilometers away, and the self-propelled howitzer Nora.

Soldiers who emerged from Lazar and Milos MRAVs used automatic rifles to shoot at targets located 100, 200, 300, and 500 meters away. After that, their modular rifles were switched to sniper mode to hit targets at greater distances. The light field vehicle NTV has also been presented, along with a small unmanned armored vehicle. After that, a target located 1.5 kilometers away was hit from a canon mounted on top of a Lazar 3 vehicle.

The anti-aircraft system PASARS hit its target at the same distance. Modernized tanks M-84as1, M-84a i M-84 and combat vehicle M-80 were also shown today, along with universal mobile artillery computer station UPARS. The long-range wire guided missile system ALAS, presented publicly for the first time, hit a target located at the distance of about 12 kilometers. Guided anti-tank missile Malyutka was also shown on Tuesday.

The Serbian Army special purpose unit Kobre and the Interior Ministry's Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) worked together to solve a hostage situation, in an exercise staged at Nikinci. Ground attack aircraft Orao and Hn42/45 Gama helicopters fired missiles at their targets, while today's event was closed with a flyover of MiG-29 fighters.

President Tomislav Nikolic, Prime Minister and President-elect Aleksandar Vucic, Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic, Serbian Army chief Gen. Ljubisa Dikovic, members of the Serbian government, and Serb Republic (RS) President and Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and Zeljka Cvijanovic were all at Nikinci today, along with military and diplomatic representatives and guests from abroad. After the event, Nikolic said its purpose was to show Serbians "who is taking care of their security" and to those who might "dare to do anything" against Serbia what the country is ready to use to defend itself.

"Throughout its history Serbia has been defending itself. You've seen a part of the state-of-the-art weapons. I am absolutely satisfied. I can say with a clear conscience that Serbia has an excellent army," he said. Earlier in the day, Nikolic, accompanied by Ljubisa Dikovic, laid a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Hero on Mt. Avala near Belgrade.

The president wrote the following in the memorial book:

"On this day an evil was brought down that threatened to destroy humankind. Serbia has given a huge contribution to the victory over fascism, and unfortunately, had many victims. As long as we are coming under attack, our mothers will be giving birth to heroes. As long as Serbia exists, her heroes will be immortal."