THE “WHITE EAGLES” ARRIVED: The first Russian T-72 tanks have been delivered for the Serbian army, our army will have more than 280 armored vehicles when all arrive

Until Wednesday, the Serbian army also includes Russian T-72 armored vehicles, which were delivered to the airport “Pilot Colonel Milenko Pavlović” without an official announcement. They were delivered on the transport plane “Ilyushin 74”, which took off from the Russian city of Anapa and flew to Serbia via a corridor across the Black Sea. According to information from “Novosti”, Russia will deliver 10 tanks on this tour, with ammunition and accompanying equipment, intended for training, and the rest are scheduled for the end of this or early next year.

The Russian tracks are part of a package of weapons and military equipment for the Serbian army, the delivery of which was agreed in the technical-military cooperation agreement between the two countries concluded in 2016. Russia, in addition to the “Mig-29” aircraft, donated 30 T-72 tanks and as many BRDM armored vehicles to Serbia on the basis of this law.

The T-72 tank, which will strengthen our army, is a reliable and proven means of war gear, used in armies around the world. On the basis of this tank, the former Yugoslavia developed its improved version, which under the designation M-84 was also successful in foreign markets. The armored vehicles arriving in Serbia have been checked, modernized and equipped with devices that can be used in our armed forces.

– The tanks that Serbia received have a common basis for the M-84, but also through new common components and Russian-produced aggregates, which will facilitate their use in Serbia – Sputnik quoted the statement of Russian military expert Fyodor Boldyrev. – Serbia does not need more modern tanks, taking into account the weaknesses of the armies of neighboring countries.

Serbia is almost unmatched in the region in terms of the number of tanks and their technological level. For the sake of comparison, according to the “Military Balance” records, Romania has around 400 armored vehicles in stock, but only 50 modernized. Bulgaria has around 90 T-72s, while Croatia only has 75 tracks. The others are even weaker: Hungary has 44 tanks, Macedonia 31 and Slovenia only 14. The Serbian army, with no Russian delivery, has around 250 armored vehicles deployed in four tank battalions in Sremska Mitrovica, Kraljevo, Nis and Vranje. In addition, the Serbian M-84s are in positions behind the Ground Security Zone and in training centers.

WITH SHOULDER WITH “ARMAT”

TANK T-72 is part of a larger family of war gear whose ancestor is the famous Russian WWII tank hero T-34. Through a series of modernizations and technical improvements, a multi-generational tank line was reached, at the center of which is an armored vehicle reinforcing the Serbian Army. The recent decision by the Russian military leadership to maintain and modernize the powerful caterpillar speaks to its possibilities and potential. This practically means that in a new hand and with new devices, despite the introduction of a more powerful T-72 “army” in armament, it will remain a mainstay of the Russian army’s tank power.