Serbia unveils Senka electric drone with precision 60 mm guided munitions at Partner 2025
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Serbia displayed the new Senka electric VTOL unmanned aircraft system at the Partner 2025 defence fair in Belgrade; the compact UAS is presented as a day/night reconnaissance, surveillance and light-attack platform.
According to information gathered by Army Recognition at Partner 2025 in Belgrade, in September 2025, Serbia is promoting a new electric armed VTOL unmanned aircraft system called Senka. The drone is intended for day and night reconnaissance, surveillance and precision attacks against light targets. The aircraft takes off and lands vertically, which means units can operate it without a runway, and it carries two 60 mm guided glide kits. It is a small and quiet attacker built to live with ground forces.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Serbian Senka electric VTOL drone, shown at Partner 2025, carries two guided 60 mm munitions for reconnaissance, surveillance and precision strikes (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).
The drone is described as a modular design with fully autonomous guidance and a complete package that includes the air vehicles, a ground control station, weapons, transport fittings and tools. Power is electric, a choice that matters in tactical use because it keeps acoustic and thermal signatures down while simplifying maintenance in the field. The nose houses an electro-optical gimbal, visible on the demonstrator, and the wing layout follows a straightforward high-aspect planform with small booms for the VTOL lift system.
Senka sits in the light tactical class. Wingspan is 5 meters with a maximum takeoff weight of 40 kilograms and an 8-kilogram useful payload. The card lists an operating altitude between 1,000 and 2,000 meters, cruise speed around 80 to 100 kilometers per hour and more than three hours endurance. Stated radius is over 50 kilometers, which suggests a data link sized for brigade or battalion tasking rather than deep-strike roles. The VTOL arrangement removes the need for catapults or nets, cutting setup time and allowing recovery in tight landing zones. For units that bounce between hide sites, that is the point.
The armament of Senka is composed of two 60 mm guided kits. Serbian industry has experience adapting mortar bombs with glide tails and simple seekers; this appears to follow that industrial trend, letting the drone lug a pair of small precision effects for light vehicles, crew-served weapons or fixed positions. With an 8-kilogram payload, the pairing looks feasible if the glide kits stay in the 3-kilogram class each, leaving headroom for the sensor ball. The guidance is described as autonomous, which likely means the aircraft can fly a pre-planned route, hold, and then hand off a coordinate or laser-assisted drop. A human remains in the loop for weapons release, but the flight control burden is low.
A platoon or company can launch Senka from a farm track, climb above small arms engagement zones and loiter for pattern-of-life. When a target appears, the crew can push one 60 mm round and keep the second for a follow-up or a separate tasking. Quiet electric propulsion makes it harder to cue defenders until the weapon is already on the way. The endurance leaves enough time for route reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. Because the aircraft lands vertically, it can shuttle sensors and batteries through multiple sorties in a day without the wear that belly or net recoveries impose. In a contested EW environment, the relatively short radius confines risk while still giving commanders a responsive precision option.
Serbia has been investing in a domestic drone ecosystem and showing it off at Partner to attract export partners and to reduce dependence on outside suppliers. The war in Ukraine has reshaped expectations for unmanned systems, pushing countries to field affordable platforms that can be built quickly and used in numbers. A VTOL electric UAV carrying small guided munitions fits that template. For Belgrade, that is a strategic signal: Serbia aims to supply itself and sell to clients that want relatively simple precision at the tactical edge.
Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.
Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.
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Serbia displayed the new Senka electric VTOL unmanned aircraft system at the Partner 2025 defence fair in Belgrade; the compact UAS is presented as a day/night reconnaissance, surveillance and light-attack platform.
According to information gathered by Army Recognition at Partner 2025 in Belgrade, in September 2025, Serbia is promoting a new electric armed VTOL unmanned aircraft system called Senka. The drone is intended for day and night reconnaissance, surveillance and precision attacks against light targets. The aircraft takes off and lands vertically, which means units can operate it without a runway, and it carries two 60 mm guided glide kits. It is a small and quiet attacker built to live with ground forces.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Serbian Senka electric VTOL drone, shown at Partner 2025, carries two guided 60 mm munitions for reconnaissance, surveillance and precision strikes (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).
The drone is described as a modular design with fully autonomous guidance and a complete package that includes the air vehicles, a ground control station, weapons, transport fittings and tools. Power is electric, a choice that matters in tactical use because it keeps acoustic and thermal signatures down while simplifying maintenance in the field. The nose houses an electro-optical gimbal, visible on the demonstrator, and the wing layout follows a straightforward high-aspect planform with small booms for the VTOL lift system.
Senka sits in the light tactical class. Wingspan is 5 meters with a maximum takeoff weight of 40 kilograms and an 8-kilogram useful payload. The card lists an operating altitude between 1,000 and 2,000 meters, cruise speed around 80 to 100 kilometers per hour and more than three hours endurance. Stated radius is over 50 kilometers, which suggests a data link sized for brigade or battalion tasking rather than deep-strike roles. The VTOL arrangement removes the need for catapults or nets, cutting setup time and allowing recovery in tight landing zones. For units that bounce between hide sites, that is the point.
The armament of Senka is composed of two 60 mm guided kits. Serbian industry has experience adapting mortar bombs with glide tails and simple seekers; this appears to follow that industrial trend, letting the drone lug a pair of small precision effects for light vehicles, crew-served weapons or fixed positions. With an 8-kilogram payload, the pairing looks feasible if the glide kits stay in the 3-kilogram class each, leaving headroom for the sensor ball. The guidance is described as autonomous, which likely means the aircraft can fly a pre-planned route, hold, and then hand off a coordinate or laser-assisted drop. A human remains in the loop for weapons release, but the flight control burden is low.
A platoon or company can launch Senka from a farm track, climb above small arms engagement zones and loiter for pattern-of-life. When a target appears, the crew can push one 60 mm round and keep the second for a follow-up or a separate tasking. Quiet electric propulsion makes it harder to cue defenders until the weapon is already on the way. The endurance leaves enough time for route reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. Because the aircraft lands vertically, it can shuttle sensors and batteries through multiple sorties in a day without the wear that belly or net recoveries impose. In a contested EW environment, the relatively short radius confines risk while still giving commanders a responsive precision option.
Serbia has been investing in a domestic drone ecosystem and showing it off at Partner to attract export partners and to reduce dependence on outside suppliers. The war in Ukraine has reshaped expectations for unmanned systems, pushing countries to field affordable platforms that can be built quickly and used in numbers. A VTOL electric UAV carrying small guided munitions fits that template. For Belgrade, that is a strategic signal: Serbia aims to supply itself and sell to clients that want relatively simple precision at the tactical edge.
Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.
Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.
