09.04.2022.
President Vučić: Our strength is a deterrent
After the completion of exercise "Fire Shield 2022", which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić said that he was proud of everything that could be seen at the “Pasuljanske Livade” range today. He said that the Serbian Armed Forces were much stronger today than ever before and that our strength was a powerful deterrent against all those who would like to threaten the security, freedom and peace of the citizens of Serbia. President Vučić said that our armed forces were making the greatest progress in the Balkans.
- Our soldiers have worked all day, including the execution of the night exercise you have just seen. They will continue tomorrow morning, if I'm not mistaken, and the day after tomorrow. They will conduct complex firings at a distance of 35 to 40 kilometres using our 155 mm NORA howitzers and our other weapons - said President Vučić.He said that tonight people could see all the changes that had been made.
- Night action shows the difference between serious armed forces and the less serious and less successful ones. We have eight or ten times more helicopters today than we used to, and there will be more, and by June next year, we will procure new French night vision goggles for our helicopters, for night surveillance and data transfer and processing, so we will be fully equipped for night combat. I also asked Generals Žarković and Simović about the importance of using helicopters, because we can see that they are used the most in this conflict in Eastern Europe - said the President.
According to him, our helicopters carry destructive "Ataka" missiles that are capable of engaging targets at a range of six to seven kilometres. He also explained that this was the first time we fired “Kornet” missiles at night.
- I think two of the three have hit the targets, and one has misfired. You could also see Malyutkas. Three of the nine have hit their targets, but they were unsealed several times in the period from 1991 to 1999, some were even destroyed ... Today we have many, tens of thousands and it is good to know exactly what we have at our disposal and to use it. You could see the 122 mm Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer successfully engage targets, not to mention the 155 mm NORAs and, of course, the extraordinary action of our Mi-35 helicopters which you could only hear... No one was able to see them without thermal imaging equipment. It also seems to me that both the generals and colonels reacted positively to the "Pasars" systems. We could only partially see the power of the "Pantsir" missile system. They did not use anti-aircraft missiles; nevertheless they looked impressive - said Vučić.
He pointed out the difference between ordinary and camouflage uniforms.
- You could see in detail the difference between the camouflage uniforms worn by two pairs of snipers. One pair was wearing a classic "ghillie" uniform produced by Yumco, and the other pair was wearing the new one. You must have noticed that it was much harder to detect, you cannot easily detect it with thermal imaging cameras. Congratulations to our military and the personnel of Yumco who produced a uniform that makes sure that our snipers stay hidden even at night - said the President.Vučić said that he was extremely satisfied with the "Little Miloš" fire action.
- The 72nd and 63rd Brigades now have 30 Miloš armoured vehicles. It is a significant reinforcement, but we also have “Little Miloš“ UGVs. “Petoletka” must continue to produce them. Also RPGs, those are the things we will need in the future. In short, we will have to continue to reinforce our helicopter units, we will have to procure more unmanned aerial vehicles, drones. We have “Sparrow” UAVs for aerial observation, we have CH-92 drones of small destructive power, we will procure CH-95 drones whose destructive power is greater, but two days ago I asked for Bayraktar UAVs from President Erdogan and he promised that we would jump the queue and get the opportunity to buy Turkish Bayraktars and introduce them into the Serbian Armed Forces’ armament - said the President.
According to him, the exercise was highly risky due to the weather conditions.
- To be honest, I was waiting anxiously for it to end, so that no one would get hurt, but I congratulate everyone. Both “Grad” rocket launchers and “Malyutkas” were firing over our soldiers’ heads. It's all live ammunition. And our tanks did great and fired without a mistake - said President Vučić.
He said that the military leadership were looking forward to the procurement of Bayraktars, but that it was uncertain when we would be able to purchase and receive them.
- But we will have to invest a lot in the development of drones, in robotics. Weapons are so sophisticated nowadays that they easily destroy targets. You have seen how we do it today, with what great power. In the coming days, on Tuesday or Wednesday, we will show you the new pride of the Serbian Armed Forces, something that will dramatically enhance our combat capabilities. The Serbian Armed Forces are much stronger today than they have ever been, and we believe that our strength is a significant deterrent against all those who would like to threaten the security, freedom and peace of the citizens of Serbia and, of course, our stability - said the President.
According to him, MRAPs produced in Kragujevac have been shown tonight. They are a significant reinforcement for the military, but the capacities for their further production are limited.
Responding to news reporters’ questions, President Vučić pointed out that it was very important for us to strengthen our country’s economy, to preserve stability and peace, but also to strengthen our armed forces.
- I think you could see tonight that few would want to be our adversary. Of course, it's one thing when there is resistance, and it's a different thing when you're alone, completely different, but the firepower we have shown tonight is great, and that’s not nearly all we have to show. A thousand soldiers have participated in this exercise, and that number can be much bigger. Nobody would have an easy time opposing such force and firepower. We will continue to arm ourselves - said President Vučić.
According to him, our goal is to be able to deter potential attackers in a modern way, because we do not aim to threaten anyone.
- I think that the Serbian Armed Forces are making the greatest progress in the entire Balkans - said President Vučić.
Tonight, more than 1,000 army, air force and air defence soldiers and special forces have conducted exercise “Fire Shield 2022”, a defensive night operation drill performed by a reinforced tactical group, showing great determination, skills, firepower and a high level of cooperation when responding to challenges, risks and threats to the security of our country.
More than 100 types of combat means, largely developed by the domestic industry, have been used in the exercise.
