Photo from social media showing a Serbian MiG-29 carrying a pair of CM-400 missiles on its inboard underwing hardpoints

Serbia recently purchased Chinese CM-400AKG air-to-surface ballistic missiles for its air force, becoming the weapon’s first European operator, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said late on Thursday, media reported, and a Chinese expert highlighted the missile’s high level of compatibility with the existing aircraft.

“We have a significant number of those missiles, and we will have even more,” Vucic said in a live broadcast by Serbia’s state RTS ⁠TV, days after the first images of the missiles mounted on a Serbian plane leaked online, according to Reuters. Vucic added that the Serbian air force had adapted its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets to carry the CM-400AKG.

According to the report by Reuters, Vucic declined to disclose the price Serbia paid for the missiles, only saying it received a “slight discount”.

The CM-400AKG air-to-ground missile is a supersonic missile meant to strike buildings and radar sites, and it was previously publicly displayed at the air show in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province. The missile, manufactured by China Aerospace ‌Science ⁠and Industry Corporation, can carry either a 150 kg (330 lb) blast warhead or a 200 kg (440 lb) penetrator warhead and has a range of up to 400 km (248 miles), per Reuters.

The report by Reuters also noted that it saw its first combat use during the 2025 ⁠India-Pakistan conflict, when Pakistan’s air force targeted an Indian S-400 air defense system.

This type of missile has attracted significant attention in the international arms market because it allows light and medium fighter jets to achieve long range strike capabilities previously limited to heavy fighters or bombers, Wang Ya’nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times, on Saturday.

It can also perform precise long range attacks against ground targets – a capability traditionally unavailable to regular fighters, Wang said. As medium sized fighters, Serbia’s MiG 29s now possess this capability, which represents a very significant enhancement for Serbia and other air forces that typically operate a limited number of relatively light aircraft.

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, Wang said.

In this case, the integration work was completed in advance, with the necessary software and hardware adaptation built into the missile’s launch rack. In other words, the missile and its pylon allow an almost “plug and play” use on other fighters, enabling them to employ the missile with minimal modifications, the expert noted.

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 of Chinese air-to-surface missiles, which has come from the Serbian side.

In recent times, per Reuters, Serbia has purchased the FK-3 surface-to-air defense system – similar to Russia’s S-300 or ⁠the US Patriot system – and CH-92A combat drones from China.

“China has long enjoyed a positive international reputation and widespread trust, earning broad recognition from other countries. At the same time, 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,” the expert said.