MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. The first shipments of Russia’s Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile systems to Serbia will commence in late February this year, a source in the military-industrial complex told TASS.

"[At the] end of February, in accordance with the terms of the contract," the source said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade had ordered the Pantsir systems (NATO code name SA-22 Greyhound) on October 24, 2019. This past November, Rosoboronexport Chairman Alexander Mikheyev told TASS that Russia would ship the systems in the upcoming months.

The Pantsir-S1 was designed to provide close-range air defense of civilian and military objects under any climatic and radio-electronic conditions during both day and night, and it is also capable of fighting ground-based and water-based threats.

The system is armed with 12 ready-to-launch surface to air missiles, with a maximum range of 20 km and, delivering a 20 kg fragmentation warhead. The Pantsir-S1 is also equipped with a double-barrel 30-mm autocannon with a range of 4 km and 3 km ceiling. The missiles are used to engage targets at longer distances, while the autocannon is used against targets at close range.