Serbia Showcases Next-Gen Combat Vehicles and Drones at Partner 2025 Defense Expo.

Serbia unveiled next-generation combat vehicles, artillery, and drones at the Partner 2025 defense exhibition in Belgrade. The showcase highlights Serbia’s shift toward modern, multi-domain battlefield systems.

The Serbian defense industry unveiled its latest generation of combat vehicles, precision-strike drones, and artillery platforms at the Partner 2025 exhibition in Belgrade on September 25, 2025. The event marked a strategic pivot away from legacy equipment toward modern, battlefield-ready systems designed for multi-domain warfare, underscoring Serbia’s ambitions to strengthen both domestic defense and export competitiveness.
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Serbia unveils a wide range of new military products and combat vehicles at the Partner 2025 defense exhibition, many of which were also showcased during the national military parade held in Belgrade on September 20, 2025. (Picture source: Serbia MoD)

The centerpiece of the exhibition floor was the upgraded BTR-80A, extensively modified by Serbia’s Military Technical Institute (MTI). Unlike its Soviet-era predecessor, the Serbian version features appliqué armor, side skirt protection, and a redesigned turret layout maintaining the 30mm 2A72 autocannon but now integrated with a digital fire-control system. The front windshield has been replaced with an armored vision suite supported by a multi-angle camera array. Field engineers speaking to Army Recognition emphasized that the vehicle’s electronic warfare suite mounted on the roof was developed specifically to counter small UAV incursions, a growing threat on the Eastern European battlefield.

Also making its debut was Serbia’s newest heavyweight indirect fire platform, the TSMB 203mm Self-Propelled Mortar. Mounted on a FAP 6x6 tactical truck, this artillery system combines the destructive punch of a traditional siege mortar with modern mobility and survivability. The 24-caliber smoothbore mortar, based on the Yugoslav M65, delivers high-explosive rounds weighing over 100kg to targets 12.5 kilometers away. With hydraulic stabilization, GPS-aided targeting, and a crew-efficient semi-automated loading mechanism, the TSMB provides a niche capability for area suppression, fortified target neutralization, and mountainous terrain bombardment. During live demonstrations at Partner 2025, the vehicle showcased rapid emplacement and shoot-and-scoot capability within 90 seconds, a feature Serbian officers say is critical for surviving counter-battery fire in contested zones.

Serbia also used the event to unveil its move toward low-cost precision strike. Among the most talked-about innovations was the RASH-2M guidance kit, a modular fin-and-seeker system designed to convert standard 120mm mortar rounds into air-launched precision-guided munitions. Developed jointly by MTI and Yugoimport SDPR, the system is compatible with rotary-wing aircraft and UAVs, particularly Serbia’s new Pegasus drone. This medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV can carry up to two RASH-2M rounds under its wings, giving Serbian forces a domestically-produced, low-signature strike option with sub-10m CEP accuracy. At the Partner 2025 flight line, Army Recognition witnessed a real-time simulation where a Pegasus drone received target coordinates from a forward observer and released a RASH-2M round, guided via inertial and GPS navigation, onto a simulated artillery battery.

Unmanned ground systems also played a central role in Serbia’s modernization messaging. The Miloš V1 combat UGV, fully armed and field-configured, was shown patrolling a mock urban combat scenario. With twin M80 anti-tank launchers, a stabilized 7.62mm machine gun, and 40mm grenade launcher, the Miloš platform delivers direct fire support for infantry in high-risk environments. Despite its compact size under 700kg, the vehicle demonstrated impressive obstacle navigation, camera-based situational awareness, and remote firing precision. Operators informed Army Recognition that the Miloš is currently in field trials with special operations units and could see deployment along Serbia’s southern border as early as Q1 2026.

While no new main battle tank platform was formally introduced, Partner 2025 confirmed behind-the-scenes development work on M-84AS2 upgrades, including active protection systems, thermal optics, and integrated battlefield networking modules. Several sources within Yugoimport acknowledged discussions with Middle Eastern and African partners regarding co-development and export of lighter tracked fire-support vehicles modeled on the AS2 chassis.

In the field of heavy artillery, the spotlight returned to the revamped NORA B-52 NG, the latest evolution of Serbia’s well-known 155mm self-propelled howitzer. The "Next Generation" variant integrates a new autoloader capable of firing six rounds per minute with reduced crew workload and a fully digital fire-control system compatible with NATO and indigenous targeting architectures. Mounted on a 8x8 chassis with improved ballistic protection, the NORA B-52 NG offers a firing range of up to 41 kilometers with extended-range base bleed shells. The upgraded barrel features an advanced recoil absorption system and a muzzle velocity radar, improving accuracy and reducing barrel wear. The howitzer also integrates seamlessly with Serbia’s new tactical command and control network, allowing for coordinated multi-battery fire missions in seconds. Army Recognition obtained exclusive technical briefings confirming that the NG variant is being proposed as a lead export product for Serbia’s artillery modernization partners in Asia and the Middle East.

Complementing the NORA’s long-range precision fire role were two advanced Serbian multiple rocket launcher systems, the Tamnava and the Šumadija. The Tamnava, a 267mm modular MLRS based on a FAP 8x8 truck platform, features a dual-pod layout capable of launching both unguided and guided rockets with ranges between 25 and 50 kilometers. Tamnava’s integration with satellite-guided munitions and its rapid reloading system allow it to support mechanized forces with continuous area saturation or focused precision strikes. During Partner 2025, Tamnava successfully simulated fire-mission integration with forward UAV reconnaissance teams, demonstrating its utility in combined arms maneuver.

More strategic in nature, the Šumadija system represents Serbia’s high-end long-range strike capability. Armed with 400mm guided rockets capable of hitting targets at distances up to 285 kilometers, Šumadija is designed to deliver precision strikes on enemy C4ISR nodes, logistic hubs, and hardened installations deep behind the front line. Each Šumadija launcher carries four rockets and is integrated into a hardened digital command architecture, featuring encrypted communication, automated targeting, and mobile reloading platforms. The system has undergone multiple live-fire validations since 2023, and according to Yugoimport SDPR officials, is now in limited operational service and available for export. Its presence at Partner 2025 underlines Serbia’s ambition to position itself among the few non-NATO countries capable of offering a complete deep-strike missile system to friendly governments facing evolving regional threats.

What distinguishes Serbia’s Partner 2025 presence is not simply hardware, but a deliberate shift in doctrine. Instead of heavy, centralized mechanized formations, the Serbian Army appears to be investing in modularity, survivability, and unmanned-forward doctrine. These developments mirror broader global trends, particularly in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Syria, where loitering munitions, UGVs, and distributed artillery have redefined battlefield dominance.

From a strategic perspective, Serbia’s advancements signal ambitions well beyond domestic defense. Many of the systems unveiled at Partner 2025, especially the TSMB mortar, NORA NG howitzer, and RASH-2M guided kits, are designed with exportability in mind. Yugoimport officials confirmed ongoing discussions with Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries looking for affordable yet effective solutions to asymmetric threats.

As the only international media outlet providing real-time, boots-on-the-ground coverage, Army Recognition will continue publishing technical breakdowns, exclusive interviews, and defense export analyses in the coming days. Serbia’s Partner 2025 exhibition is more than a product showcase. It is a clear message of industrial resilience and regional ambition in a rapidly shifting defense landscape.