Vucic: Vihor 2024 military exercise successful

SJENICA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday he was very pleased with the results of the several-day Vihor (Whirlwind) 2024 joint tactical military exercise and noted that it reflected the way the Serbian army should "look like in the future."

The exercise was conducted at the Pester training range in southwestern Serbia.

"We need to get rid of the three-brigade principle, and this is how that should look like in the future. This is how our army will be organised," Vucic said after the exercise was concluded.

He congratulated Defence Minister Milos Vucevic, Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic and all troops on the successful completion of the drill, noting that it had showcased a great deal of new military equipment.

"Even tanks from the reserve look the way they should look like. Those are completely new, modernised tanks. You were able to see several drone types, from reconnaissance drones to Komarac (Mosquito) and Osica (Wasplet) suicide drones, which operated in pairs. I think 12 or 13 of the 15 suicide drones hit their targets. We are now getting more strongly into production of those drones," Vucic said.

He said he was pleased private manufacturers had done a good job, too, and that it was a sign Serbia was on the right track to build a drone industry that could meet the needs its armed forces.

"You were also able to see a sortie and live ammunition shooting by our aircraft types and I am satisfied with our army but we still have a lot to do, to improve and buy, and rely additionally on our defence industry. That is important for us," Vucic said.

"We had almost nothing just ten years ago, which shows how much progress Serbia has made, how much more successful it is and how much it has been investing in its defence and its freedom and independence," Vucic concluded.