Ukrainian forces employ advanced Serbian rockets in escalating conflict: implications and origins
Since the 1990s, Serbia has maintained a close alliance with Russia, particularly when Russia sternly opposed the NATO operation 'Allied Force'. However, it seems Belgrade officials are leveraging this war in Ukraine to maximise their profits.
Similar behaviour was previously seen from Bulgaria. Even though Bulgaria didn’t openly declare military support for Ukraine for a long time, they did allow their defence industry to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Serbian weapons have been found in Ukraine, with instances of mortar shells possibly dating back to the Yugoslav era. However, the presence of G-2000 rockets is intriguing, considering these have only been showcased at arms fairs as a new product within the last few years. This implies that Serbian manufacturer EDePro could have directly or indirectly sold the rockets to Ukraine.
G-2000, Serbian rockets doubling the BM-21 Grad's previous range
Typically, the most prevalent 122mm rockets for the multiple rocket launcher BM-21 Grad have a range of approximately 20 kilometres. Rockets with greater ranges are relatively rare. Serbians, much like Poles, aimed to expand on this calibre by using an enhanced rocket engine that has a longer operational life.
As a result, without altering the dimensions and maintaining a combat head weight in the region of 18-19 kilograms, they were able to produce an unguided rocket with a maximum range of 40 kilometres, weighing around 69 kilograms. The Serbians have also reduced the dispersion of the rocket fire, achieving a 0.96% circular error probability (CEP) at the maximum range. This indicates that a volley of 40 rockets would cover the target area more densely compared with older models.
It's a source of Serbian pride that their rockets are presently used in ten countries worldwide, with total sales exceeding 30,000 units. The deployment of these rockets by Ukrainians, similar to the Polish M-21 "Fenix", enables them to achieve ranges that were formerly exclusive to the less frequent BM-27 Uragan system.
However, it bears mentioning that unlike their Polish counterparts, the Serbian G-2000 rockets also come in a version with a cassette head, capable of carrying anti-personnel mines or PTM-3 bomblets. For instance, this allows for the mining of supply routes behind enemy lines.
