China Backs €100.5M Serbian Battery Plant for Drones

Serbia has signed a €100.5 million framework agreement with Chinese battery manufacturer Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech for a new production facility in Inđija that will manufacture batteries for drones, robots and unmanned vehicles. The August 31 agreement comes as Belgrade seeks to develop a broader domestic supply chain for unmanned systems and other high-technology products.

The plant will produce high-technology batteries for drones, humanoid robots, unmanned vehicles, advanced power tools and household appliances, according to Serbia’s Development Agency. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić separately indicated that Serbia intends to establish a major drone production facility within six months, although the government has not disclosed the manufacturer, investment value, production capacity or exact location of that project.

€100.5 million investment targets advanced battery production

The framework agreement was signed in Belgrade by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Adrijana Mesarović, Inđija municipal president Marko Gašić and Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech co-founder and chief operating officer Xu Fen Lan.

Serbia’s Development Agency placed the investment at €100.5 million and identified Inđija as the location for the new production facility. The agency said the investment could also create opportunities for Serbian companies to enter the associated supply chain, although no production capacity or employment figure was announced.

The Serbian government has therefore secured an investment that extends beyond conventional consumer battery manufacturing. Drones and unmanned ground vehicles are explicitly included among the applications that the Inđija facility is intended to supply.

That distinction gives the project potential relevance to Serbia’s growing unmanned systems sector. Battery availability, energy density and supply security have become increasingly important industrial considerations as militaries expand their inventories of electrically powered unmanned aerial and ground systems.

Serbia wants a domestic drone supply chain

Vučić linked the battery investment to a wider Serbian effort to establish production chains covering both robotics and drones. Following the signing, he said Serbia would seek to build a complete domestic supply chain and indicated that a large drone factory could be established within six months.

The drone factory remains an announced objective rather than a confirmed project with publicly disclosed industrial specifications. Serbia has not identified the company expected to operate the plant or provided figures for annual production, workforce size or investment.

The distinction is significant. The €100.5 million Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech project is backed by a signed framework agreement, while the drone manufacturing plan currently depends on future agreements and implementation.

If both projects proceed, however, Serbia could host production of a critical drone component alongside final unmanned-system manufacturing. That would reduce the number of major production stages dependent entirely on imported finished components.

Chinese technology expands its role in Serbia

The agreement also adds another Chinese industrial project to Serbia’s broader economic relationship with Beijing. Chinese companies have developed a substantial presence in Serbian infrastructure, mining, automotive manufacturing and technology projects over the past decade.

For the defense sector, the relationship already extends beyond civilian industrial investment. Serbia operates Chinese-origin CH-92A armed unmanned aerial vehicles and FK-3 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, making it one of the most significant users of Chinese military equipment in Europe.

The new Inđija project is not presented by Serbian authorities as a dedicated military facility. Its planned output covers civilian and industrial applications alongside drones and unmanned vehicles.

However, the inclusion of unmanned platforms makes the investment relevant to Serbia’s broader dual-use technology base. Modern drone production depends not only on airframes and payloads but also on batteries, electric motors, electronics, sensors, communications equipment and software.

Inđija could become part of Serbia’s unmanned systems ecosystem

The next indicator will be whether Serbia connects the Inđija battery facility with its domestic drone manufacturers and the separate drone factory announced by Vučić.

No construction completion date for the Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech plant was disclosed in the August 31 announcement. Serbian authorities also did not specify when battery production would begin.

The project nevertheless establishes a potential upstream component supplier for Serbia’s expanding unmanned systems sector. If the planned drone production investment follows, Serbia could move toward a more vertically integrated industrial model in which batteries and unmanned platforms are produced within the same national manufacturing base.

What is Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech building in Serbia?

Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech plans to establish a €100.5 million high-technology battery factory in Inđija, Serbia. The batteries are intended for drones, humanoid robots, unmanned vehicles, advanced power tools and household appliances.

Will the Serbian factory produce military drone batteries?

Serbian authorities have said the facility will manufacture batteries for drones and unmanned vehicles but have not identified specific military platforms or customers. The announced product range includes both civilian and dual-use applications.

Is Serbia also building a new drone factory?

President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia aims to establish a major drone factory within six months. As of August 31, the government had not publicly identified its operator, investment value, production capacity or exact location.

Why is the Serbian battery investment relevant to defense?

Batteries are a critical component of many small unmanned aerial and ground systems. Local battery production could give Serbia another domestic element in the supply chain supporting its expanding drone and robotics manufacturing sector.