25.03.2020.

Minister Vulin: Training in the Serbian Armed Forces is not postponed due to a state of emergency and additional tasks

- The Serbian Armed Forces must not lose any of their capabilities, despite the fact that a state of emergency has been declared and despite the fact that they have numerous new tasks that they have not dealt with so far, like securing 17 migrant centres and almost all major medical institutions, monitoring quarantines for accommodating persons infected by the coronavirus and assisting the Ministry of Internal Affairs in establishing border control, said the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin after today's visit to the Arms and Military Equipment Testing Centre “Nikinci” where the members of the Special Brigade are carrying out live firing practice from the “Miloš” unmanned remotely operated platform.

- Our first task is to be ready to defend our country and the Serbs no matter where they live, which is why no training in the Serbian Armed Forces is delayed. All members of the Serbian Armed Forces have the obligation to be prepared and to get ready for the use of new equipment. The “Miloš” unmanned remotely operated platform has already shown its qualities and we are now introducing it into the standard armament of the Serbian Armed Forces. Very soon, a batch of "Mali Miloš" platforms will become a part of the Special Brigade’s armament and will significantly improve our capabilities - Minister Vulin announced, reiterating that members of the Serbian Armed Forces will continue to prepare and train no matter how difficult it is or how many other tasks lie ahead.

According to Stefan Savić of the Military Technical Institute, who works as a member of the research and development team on "Milos" unmanned remotely operated platform, the main purpose of this vehicle is to protect personnel.

- “Miloš“ vehicle can reach a range of approximately 2 km from a command-and-control vehicle under good visibility conditions. Together with the 800-meter machine gun range, this means that the vehicle operator is 2.8 km away from the front line. This vehicle is effective for destroying targets up to 800 meters with a machine gun and up to 350 meters with a grenade launcher. It is small enough to go through a standard 80-cm wide door, it can climb stairs and can also be used inside the buildings - said Savić, noting that "Milos" is equipped with a thermal imaging camera that can spot a man from up to 450-meter distance and is capable of night action.

The commander of the crew on the „Miloš“ combat platform, Staff Sergeant Nikola Nikolić, said that today’s firing in Nikinci was carried out with a 7.62 mm M86 machine gun and a 40 mm M16 grenade launcher. He points out that practicing firing from the remotely operated unmanned "Miloš" platform is very important for the members of the Special Brigade, primarily for the protection of personnel, because personnel will not be directly exposed to enemy fire, but can gain access to enemy positions thanks to the combat platform.

Sergeant Bojan Pešić points out that today he was the first operator to carry out firing and that everything was extremely successful. Although the training was intensive and complex, Pešić says that the personnel have mastered everything successfully and that this will contribute to their combat capabilities.
The Assistant Minister for Material Resources, Nenad Miloradović, the Head of the Planning and Development Department of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Milan Popović, the Director of the Military Technical Institute Colonel Bojan Pavković and the Director of the Technical Test Centre, Colonel Slobodan Ilić also visited the members of the Special Brigade during their training.