The Serbian Defence Ministry on January 2 announced that Chinese HQ-22 medium range air defence systems are now fully operational, with the new assets seen by senior officers to have revolutionised the ability of the country’s armed forces to protect national airspace. Chinese Y-20 heavy airlifters transported the first of the missile systems to Serbia in early April, 2022, less than two years after Serbia was confirmed to have ordered them. The acquisition faced considerable opposition from Serbia’s European neighbours and from the United States, although procuring the HQ-22 was seen to be a less politically contentious alternative to prior plans to acquire Russian S-300 or S-400 systems. Commenting on the operationalisation of the systems, the Defence Ministry observed: “By arming the Air Force and Air Defence with the new FK-3 [HQ-22] air defence missile system, the airspace control and protection system has been significantly improved in the Republic of Serbia.”
Poster Comment:
Chinese domestic variant with speed of Mach 6 and a range of 170 kilometers (110 miles)....Good enough to stop NATO. Superior to US Patriot system.