Serbian Army

History

Main article: History of the Serbian Army

Originally established in 1830 as the Army of Principality of Serbia and after Serbia's independence it subsequently grew in size and was renamed the Royal Serbian Army. After the World War I it was incorporated into the newly established Royal Yugoslav Army which was in turn transformed into Yugoslav Ground Forces of the Yugoslav People's Army after the World War II. The Serbian Army in its current form has been active since 2006 when Serbia restored its independence.

Missions

The Serbian Army is responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia from foreign hostiles; participating in peacekeeping operations; and providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

The Army i.e. infantry battalions of its 2nd, 3rd and 4th brigades are tasked with securing the 384 kilometers long and 5 km wide Ground Safety Zone along the administrative line between Serbia and Kosovo with over 20 camps and security checkpoints.

Structure

The Serbian Army consists of six brigades, six independent battalions directly attached to the Army Command, as well as the River Flotilla, the Technical Overhauling Institute and Multinational Operations Training Centre. The four primary army brigades are composed of as many as ten battalions, including: one command battalion, one armored battalion, two mechanized battalions, two infantry battalions, one self-propelled artillery battalion, one self-propelled multiple rocket launcher artillery battalion, one air-defence battalion, one engineer battalion and one logistics battalion.

18th Eng 19th Log 14th A-d Art 17th Mech 15th Tank 17th Mech 23rd S-p Art 25th A-d Art 26th Tank 27th Mech 29th Log 210th Eng 33rd How Art 34th MRL Art 35th A-d Art 36th Tank 39th Log 32nd Inf 38th Mech 43rd How Art 45th A-d Art 46th Tank 47th Mech 49th Log 410th Eng 42nd Inf 48th Mech 1st H-C Art 2nd H-C Art 3rd Can Art 4th Can Art S-p C&H Art Mix Miss Art 69th Log 1st River 2nd River 2nd Pont Log 21st Sig T72 Tank Arm-Rec

• [[File:Emblem of the Serbian Land Forces.svg|48x48px]] Army Command
  • [[File:3VP.png|37x37px]] 3rd Military Police Battalion (Niš)
  • [[File:5VP.png|37x37px]] 5th Military Police Battalion (Belgrade)
  • [[File:ABHO.png|34x34px]] 246th NBC Battalion (Kruševac)
  • [[File:21. Bataljon veze.png|34x34px]] 21st Signal Battalion (Niš)
  • T–72M Tank Battalion (Niš)
  • Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (Niš)
• [[File:1 Brigada KOV.png|46x46px]] 1st Army Brigade
  • 10th Command Battalion (Novi Sad)
  • 11th Infantry Battalion (Pančevo)
  • 12th Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (Bačka Topola)
  • 13th Self-propelled Multiple Rocket Launcher Artillery Battalion (Sremska Mitrovica)
  • 14th Air-defence Artillery Battalion (Pančevo)
  • 15th Tank Battalion (Sremska Mitrovica)
  • 16th Mechanized Battalion (Sremska Mitrovica)
  • 17th Mechanized Battalion (Bačka Topola)
  • 18th Engineer Battalion (Novi Sad)
  • 19th Logistics Battalion (Novi Sad)
  • 111th Infantry Battalion (Loznica)
• [[File:2 Brigada KOV.png|46x46px]] 2nd Army Brigade
  • 20th Command Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 21st Infantry Battalion (Raška)
  • 22nd Infantry Battalion (Požega)
  • 23rd Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 24th Self-propelled Multiple Rocket Launcher Artillery Battalion (Valjevo)
  • 25th Air-defence Artillery Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 26th Tank Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 27th Mechanized Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 28th Mechanized Battalion (Novi Pazar)
  • 29th Logistics Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 210th Engineer Battalion (Kraljevo)
  • 211th Mountain Battalion (Priboj, in process of formation)
• [[File:3 Brigada KOV.png|46x46px]] 3rd Army Brigade
  • 30th Command Battalion (Niš)
  • 31st Infantry Battalion (Zaječar)
  • 32nd Infantry Battalion (Zaječar)
  • 33rd Self-propelled Howitzer Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 34th Multiple Rocket Launcher Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 35th Air-defence Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 36th Tank Battalion (Niš)
  • 37th Mechanized Battalion (Kuršumlija)
  • 38th Mechanized Battalion (Kuršumlija)
  • 39th Logistics Battalion (Niš)
  • 310th Engineer Battalion (Prokuplje)
• [[File:4 Brigada KOV.png|46x46px]] 4th Army Brigade
  • 40th Command Battalion (Vranje)
  • 41st Infantry Battalion (Military Base "South")
  • 42nd Infantry Battalion (Military Base "South")
  • 43rd Self-propelled Howitzer Artillery Battalion (Vranje)
  • 44th Self-propelled Multiple Rocket Launcher Artillery Battalion (Leskovac)
  • 45th Air-defence Artillery Battalion (Vranje)
  • 46th Tank Battalion (Vranje)
  • 47th Mechanized Battalion (Vranje)
  • 48th Mechanized Battalion (Military Base "South")
  • 49th Logistics Battalion (Vranje)
  • 410th Engineer Battalion (Vranje)

• [[File:Mešovita artiljeriska Brigada.png|48x48px]] Mixed Artillery Brigade
  • Command Battalion (Niš)
  • 1st Howitzer-Cannon Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 2nd Howitzer-Cannon Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 3rd Cannon Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 4th Cannon Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • Self-propelled Howitzer-Cannon Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • Mixed Missile Artillery Battalion (Niš)
  • 69th Logistics Battalion (Niš)
• [[File:RFVSAmblem.png|44x44px]] River Flotilla
  • Command Company (Novi Sad)
  • 1st River Detachment (Novi Sad)
  • 2nd River Detachment (Belgrade)
  • 1st Pontoon Battalion (Šabac)
  • 2nd Pontoon Battalion (Novi Sad)
  • Logistics Company (Novi Sad)
• [[File:Amblem-centra-za-obuku-jedinica-za-multinacionalne-operacije-logo.png|45x45px]] Multinational Operations Training Centre
• [[File:Znak-trz-cacak-logo.png|49x49px]] Technical Overhaul Institute "Čačak"

Equipment

Main article: List of equipment of the Serbian Armed Forces

The following equipment is in operational use as of 2025:

Armored vehicles

• M-84 main battle tank – 212 (26 M-84AS2; 186 M-84)
• T-72B1MS main battle tank – 30
• Lazar 3M wheeled infantry fighting vehicle – 20
• BVP M-80 tracked infantry fighting vehicle – 320 (29 BVP M-80AB1 and 296 BVP M-80)
• Lazar 3 armoured personnel carrier – 60
• BTR-80A amphibious armoured personnel carrier – 108
• M20 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle – 22
• Miloš mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle – 60
• BRDM-2 armoured reconnaissance vehicle – 66 (30 BRDM-2MS; 36 BRDM-2)
• BOV KIV command vehicle – 20
• Humvee light armoured vehicle – 104
• BOV M-86 light armoured vehicle – 51 (used by military police)

Artillery

• PULS 370 mm/306 mm/160 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher (armed with Predator Hawk tactical ballistic missiles and EXTRA and ACCULAR artillery rockets)
• Nora B-52 155 mm self-propelled howitzer – 24
• 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzer – 72 (54 2S1M Gvozdika and 18 2S1 Gvozdika)
• Nora M-84 152 mm gun-howitzer – 36
• M-87 Orkan 262 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher – 4
• M-18 Oganj 175 mm/128 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher – 8
• M-77 Oganj 128 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher – 60 (25 M-17D Oganj and 35 M-77 Oganj)
• M74/M75 120 mm mortar

Drones

• SkyStriker loitering munition
• Shadow 50 loitering munition
• Shadow 25 loitering munition
• SM2 loitering munition
• Gavran 145 loitering munition
• Osica loitering munition
• Komarac loitering munition – 1,000
• Skylark 3 reconnaissance drone
• Vrabac reconnaissance drone – 50
• AD Orbiter reconnaissance drone – 10

Anti-armour

• BOV Polo M-83M loitering munition launch vehicle – 10
• BOV Polo M-83 anti-tank missile launch vehicle – 38
• 9M133 Kornet anti-tank missile system
• 9K111 Fagot anti-tank missile system
• M80 Zolja anti-tank missile launcher
• M79 Osa anti-tank missile launcher

Air-defence

• PASARS-16 short-range surface-to-air missile system – 5 batteries
• 9K35 Strela-10 short-range surface-to-air missile system – 1 battery
• 9K31 Strela-1 short-range surface-to-air missile system – 9 batteries
• Mistral 3 MANPADS
• 9K32 Strela-2 MANPADS

Vessels

• Neštin class minesweeper – 4
• Type 20 Biscaya class river patrol craft – 3
• Type 22 441 class landing crafts – 5
• RPČ 111 patrol vessel – 1
• River patrol boats – 4
• Tanker – 1
• Degaussing vessel – 1
• Command ship – 1
• RIB 720 rigid inflatable boat – 10

Firearms

• Zastava M19 assault rifle
• Zastava M84 machine gun
• Zastava M72 light machine gun
• Zastava M93 anti-materiel rifle
• Zastava M91 sniper rifle

Ranks

Main article: Military ranks of Serbia

Officers

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Enlisted

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

References

References

1. (28 December 2021). "Brojnost vojski Srbije, Hrvatske, BiH, Crne Gore i Severne Makedonije u 2021".
2. "Serbian Armed Forces | the official website of the Serbian Armed Forces".
3. (January 20, 2009). "NATO for suspension of security zone in Kosovo". Blic Online.
4. "The Army {{!}} Serbian Armed Forces".
5. (March 9, 2020). "Formira se brdsko-planinski bataljon u Priboju: Posao za nekoliko stotina mladih vojnika".
6. "Oklopne jedinice Vojske Srbije".
7. Srna. (December 2, 2017). "Srbija od Rusije dobija 30 tenkova".
8. (January 27, 2024). "Vojske Balkana imaju 9 vrsta oklopnih osmotočkaša".
9. https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/617372/Srbija-dobila-mocna-borbena-vozila-od-Madarske
10. "Стефановић о набавци "корнета": Србија сада има убојито оружје".
11. (May 23, 2021). "Vojsci Srbije isporučeno 30 tenkova i oklopnih automobila iz ruske donacije". Radio Slobodna Evropa.
12. "Armaments – armaments names in this reference are links with detailed explanation read them to clarify technical and other details". Serbian Armed Forces.
13. (July 23, 2023). "Vojsci Srbije isporučeno 66 Hamvija".
14. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/serbia-purchases-israeli-puls-rocket-systems-and-reconnaissance-drones/
15. "Stefanović o nabavci "korneta": Srbija sada ima ubojito oružje".
16. (October 28, 2021). "[PARTNER 2021] Novi i unapređeni PVO sistemi".