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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday that Serbia will produce military drones through a joint venture with an Israeli company, describing the project as a 50-50 partnership and saying the choice of an Israeli firm was clear because “they make them best.”
Vucic had previously announced that a drone factory would be built in Serbia with a foreign partner, but on Tuesday, he said publicly for the first time that the partner would be an Israeli company.
“Of course, because they make them best,” Vucic told the media when asked about the choice of partner.
He said the cooperation would be structured as a 50-50 venture.
Earlier this month, investigative outlet BIRN and Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems would build a drone factory in Serbia.
According to those reports, the factory would be owned by Elbit Systems and the Serbian state-owned company SDPR.
The reports said the plant would produce both short-range and long-range drones.
So far, neither the Israeli company nor the Serbian authorities have commented on those reports.
Elbit Systems has faced criticism over its role in Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
Serbia has also faced criticism in recent months over reports that its arms exports to Israel increased sharply after the war in Gaza began.
The reported drone venture comes against that backdrop, as scrutiny has grown over Serbia’s defense ties with Israel.
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During a visit to Serbia last month, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said Belgrade was one of Israel’s “most steadfast and determined allies.”
In a June 2025 report, Albanese also named Elbit Systems among companies profiting from what she described as the “ongoing genocide” in Gaza.
Those comments added to the criticism already surrounding both Serbia’s defense relationship with Israel and Elbit’s role in Israeli military operations.
Vucic has repeatedly defended Serbia’s arms exports and has previously described cooperation with Israel as excellent.
“They sell us weapons, we sell them weapons, and this will continue,” he said.
His latest remarks made clear that Serbia intends to deepen that cooperation through joint drone production with an Israeli partner.
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