Serbia Armed Its MiG-29 Fighter Jets with Chinese CM-400AKG Missiles

Serbia has purchased Chinese CM-400AKG air-to-surface missiles for its MiG-29 fighter jets.

Analyst Danube Intel published a photo of the aircraft and suggested that the missiles could have been delivered as early as 2025.

The MiG-29 fighters also received universal pylons from the Chinese company CATIC, which allow the integration of other missiles and guided bombs.

Over the past eight months, Serbian military transport aircraft have flown to Egypt, the UAE, and Jordan, where they could have loaded Chinese weapons.

“This explains the flights of Il-76 transport aircraft from Egypt to Belgrade,” the analyst said.

The CM-400AKG is a Chinese air-launched cruise missile developed by CASIC. According to the developers, it can reach speeds of 4.5 to 5.5 Mach.

Although not all analysts agree with its hypersonic status — since the missile probably does not maintain such a speed throughout the entire flight — its semi-ballistic profile and high dive speed make it an extremely difficult target to intercept. The tail section of the body houses a single-stage solid-fuel engine. Its characteristics are sufficient to accelerate the missile to high supersonic speeds and deliver the warhead to a distance of 200–240 km. The engine is launched immediately after the missile is dropped from the carrier aircraft.

According to open sources, the missile is equipped with a combined guidance system: inertial, satellite, and infrared or radar terminal homing.

This allows it to hit both sea and stationary ground targets, including radar stations, bases, and air defense positions.

The missile weighs approximately 900 kg, with a warhead weighing up to 200 kg. The range depends on the launch profile and is estimated to be between 100 and 240 km.

This is not the first Chinese weapon in Serbia. In 2024, the country received a Chinese-made HQ-17AE anti-aircraft missile system. Last year, Serbia also acquired Soviet-Russian Kh-31 anti-radar missiles and is integrating them into its MiG-29 fighter jets.

Neither Serbia nor its predecessor, Yugoslavia, had Kh-31 missiles or aircraft capable of using them.

When the Kh-31P anti-radar missile was developed, its carriers included the Su-17M, Su-24, and MiG-27, and it was later integrated into other aircraft, such as the Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35.