Chinese Hypersonic Missiles in Serbian Arsenal: ‘Plug and Play’ Technology on MiG-29s

Kathmandu : Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced late Thursday that his country’s air force has purchased the Chinese CM-400AKG air-to-surface ballistic missile, making Serbia the weapon’s first European operator. Vucic stated that Serbia has successfully adapted its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets to carry these missiles and will acquire even more in the future.

Manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, this supersonic missile is designed to strike buildings and radar sites. It can carry either a 150 kg blast warhead or a 200 kg penetrator warhead and has a range of up to 400 km. According to Reuters, the missile saw its first combat use during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, when Pakistan’s air force targeted an Indian S-400 air defense system.

Wang Ya’nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, highlighted that this missile type has attracted significant attention because it allows light and medium fighter jets to achieve long-range strike capabilities previously limited to heavy fighters or bombers. For air forces like Serbia’s that typically operate a limited number of relatively light aircraft such as the MiG-29, this represents a very significant enhancement.

The other key highlight is the integration and high compatibility, Wang said. Traditionally, equipping an existing fighter jet of non-Chinese design like the MiG-29 with a new missile requires major upgrades to the aircraft’s fire control computer and software. In this case, the integration work was completed in advance, with the necessary software and hardware adaptation built into the missile’s launch rack. The missile and its pylon allow an almost “plug and play” use on other fighters, enabling them to employ the missile with minimal modifications.

As of press time, there has been no confirmation from the Chinese embassy or other official channels regarding the latest information of Serbia’s purchase, which has come from the Serbian side.

In recent times, Serbia has also purchased the FK-3 surface-to-air defense system and CH-92A combat drones from China. The expert noted that China has long enjoyed a positive international reputation and widespread trust, and Chinese equipment has demonstrated excellent performance in actual operations. As nations place their trust both in China and its equipment, military trade cooperation with China is expected to grow further in the future.