The Serbian Armed Forces have adopted Komar FPV drones developed and manufactured by Serbian defense industry enterprises.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia reported on this.

During 2024, the Serbian Military Technical Institute developed and helped to establish production of two types of FPV kamikaze drones – Komar 1 and Komar 2 at the defense industry enterprises.

It is reported that a number of the selected members of the Serbian Armed Forces had already been trained to operate those drones, and deliveries to the Serbian Armed Forces had already begun.

“The Serbian army follows global trends in unmanned aerial vehicles, so it was one of the first to introduce the safest igniter (Smart – Software-defined igniter) and warheads specially designed for these vehicles,” said a representative of the Military Technical Institute.

Drone specifications

The exact specifications of the new drones are not known, but it is stated that they could operate in different weather conditions and were resistant to electronic warfare.

The Komar 1 is equipped with a 50 mm high-explosive fragmentation warhead and is designed to engage armored vehicles, lightly armored targets, and manpower. Initially, the drone was equipped with a high explosive warhead, but later it was replaced with a universal high explosive fragmentation warhead to ensure effective infantry engagement.

It is noted that the warhead could be detonated both upon hitting the target and remotely using a command from the control station. This allows for more effective targeting of manpower.

The Komar 2 is equipped with a 105 mm high explosive warhead that operates on the principle of a high-explosive core. This makes it possible to hit lightly armored targets much more effectively, due to the much larger amount of fragments produced when the armor is penetrated. However, warheads with a high-explosive warhead have significantly less armor penetration than classical warheads, although they are not neutralized by reactive armor such as Kontakt-1.

In September 2024, Serbia reintroduced compulsory military service, which was abolished in 2010.

According to the plan, Serbian men will perform compulsory military service, which will consist of 60 days of training and 15 days of exercises. Military service for women will be voluntary and will take place under the same conditions.

“We need to replenish the reserve. For our security, we need new recruits who will always be ready to defend the country,” Defense Minister Miloš Vučević said.