Serbia inaugurates Israeli drone assembly plant in push to expand its defence industry
From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has inaugurated a drone assembly plant built with Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems, declaring that warheads for the weapons will be produced at Serbia's Krusik weapons factory. Vucic posted footage of himself inspecting and briefly operating one of the drones, saying they "go through windows and chase the opponent." Journalists were barred from attending due to the confidentiality of the production process.
The factory will employ around 100 workers and supply both Serbia's military and the armed forces of other, unnamed countries.
Vucic announced in April that Serbia would produce combat drones with Israel, with state arms producer Yugoimport SDPR partnering with Elbit Systems to open the plant.
'Our plans are huge,' Vucic wrote, adding that he and his Israeli partners expect to open at least three more factories across Serbia.