an analysis article was published on the website of the US Military Observer Magazine on August 10, saying that the hq-22 missile system purchased by Serbia
China's foreign trade version will revolutionize the country's air defense capability
[China hq-22 ground to air missile system]
it is reported that Serbia has signed a contract to purchase China's foreign trade version of the hq-22 medium and long-range surface to air missile system. In the months when the country's armed forces showed interest in purchasing modern air defense systems, most analysts had expected it to purchase such systems from Russia. The hq-22 is one of China's latest air defense missile systems, with a shorter range than the hq-9b system. The estimated range of the system is 150-170 Km, capable of engaging targets with a height of 50m to 27000m. The system has been widely compared with the Patriot missile system of the United States and the S-300 series missiles of Russia. Although its range is shorter than more advanced S-300 models such as s-300pmu-2, it is considered to have excellent EW countermeasure system and excellent ability to deal with stealth targets at close range. The Serbian air force will be able to provide an unprecedented range of ballistic sensors and bombers, as well as a range of unmanned aerial vehicles, including the ability to engage missiles
[China's HQ-9 ground to air missile system]
hq-22 made its debut at the Zhuhai Air Show in 2016. The system can launch 12 missiles and can hit up to six targets at the same time. It is much lower than s-300pmu-2, but equivalent to patriot. The system is obviously cheaper than HQ-9 or S-300, which makes it more suitable for Serbia due to its very limited defense budget. It is widely speculated that Serbia has decided not to buy advanced systems with similar prices in Russia (for example, s-350 and older S-300 models) include the need to avoid over reliance on Russian weapons, the hope to improve defense relations with China, and the threat of sanctions from the United States if Russian weapons are purchased
[Chinese ch-92a UAV system purchased by Serbia]
it was previously speculated that Serbia might show interest in Russia's s S-300 or even S-400 system, which was deployed to the country for joint military exercises in 2019, reportedly to demonstrate its advanced performance. Serbia recently purchased Russian MiG-29 fighters and" armor"(pantsir) Short range air defense system to improve its air defense capability, both of which provide an effective supplement to hq-22. It is worth noting that hq-22 cannot be regarded as a direct substitute for S-300 or S-400 systems. In the future, Serbia may purchase these systems after obtaining more funds to further enhance its air defense network. With the delivery of China's ch-92a UAV system, Serbia became the first European country to obtain Chinese military UAV in July, and its struggling economy has been greatly promoted by Chinese investment. Serbia is one of the few European countries outside NATO and the European Union, which has led China and Russia to seek to improve their relations with Belgrade, which pays special attention to national defense construction