CHINA-SERBIA: SIX CHINESE PLAAFTRANSPORT AIRCRAFT DELIVERED HQ 22 SAM SYSTEMS TO SERBIA ON APRIL 9
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Six of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Y-20 transport planes landed at
Belgrade’s civilian airport early on April 9, reportedly carrying HQ-22 surface-to-air missile
systems for the Serbian military. The Chinese cargo planes with military markings were
pictured at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla airport. Serbia’s defense ministry did not immediately
respond to AP’s request for comment. “The Y-20s’ appearance raised eyebrows because they
flew en masse as opposed to a series of single-aircraft flights,” wrote The Warzone online
magazine. “The Y-20′s presence in Europe in any numbers is also still a fairly new
development.” Serbian military analyst Aleksandar Radic said that “the Chinese carried out
their demonstration of force.” The arms delivery over the territory of at least two NATO
member states, Turkey, and Bulgaria, was seen by experts as a demonstration of China’s
growing global reach.
(Comment: Serbia apparently placed the order in 2019.)
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