The institute has 22 laboratories, and is situated on 212 acres (86 hectares), with 177,000 square meters of laboratories and office space, mostly in the Belgrade neighborhood of Žarkovo.
History
Given the situation after World War II, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia had a need to independently develop military technology and reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers. By a decision of the Secretary of Defense and a proclamation by Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito, VTI was founded in 1948 as the Military Technical Institute of the Land Forces (Serbian: Vojnotehnički institut Kopnene vojske; abbr. VTIkov) in Belgrade.
In 1973, VTI was integrated with several smaller military research and development institutes. By 1992, it incorporated the dissolved Aeronautical Technical Institute in Žarkovo, and minor parts (located in Serbia) of the Nautical Institute (Serbian: Brodarski institut) from Zagreb, supposedly as an effort to reduce developing cost and maintenance. Since then, the institute has changed its name several times, reflecting the political changes in the country, the first of these being "Technical Institute of the Yugoslav Armed Forces".
VTI, together with its various predecessor institutes, has developed more than 1,300 weapons systems, not all of which have entered service. The following list includes weapons and systems of other companies in which VTI was partly involved in some stage of development, and those systems are listed with references. VTI was in charge of domestically-produced weapons systems under license, and the modification and modernization of such weapons with the introduction of new technologies and making new materials and tools for production. There are several new weapons developed from licensed products that surpass the originals in performance. One such example is the T-72, which was license-produced as the M-84.
Aircraft
Utva Lasta 95
Ikarus S-49 (developed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute)
Soko J-20 Kraguj (developed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute)
Soko G-2 Galeb (developed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute)
Soko J-21 Jastreb (developed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute)
Soko J-22 Orao (developed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute)
M-84 and A/AB/ABN/ABK/AS/AS1/AS2/AS3 variants (1985–present)
M-84A – upgraded version similar to the Soviet T-72M1 but with a significantly more powerful engine and additional armour plating
M-84AB – Kuwaiti version of M-84A
M-84AB – M-84AB fitted with land navigation equipment
M-84ABK Command Tank – M-84AB version fitted with extensive communication equipment, land navigation equipment, and a generator for the command role
M-84AI armored recovery vehicle (Yugoslavia and Poland) – During the mid-1990s Kuwait requested an armored recovery vehicle variant of the M-84A tank as part of the deal to buy a large batch of M-84A tanks.
AS1/AS2/AS3 – additional armor added, including explosive reactive armor, integrated day-night sighting system with thermal imager, command information system, a soft-kill active protection system, new radio system, remote-controlled weapons station with 12.7mm machine gun, and CBRN protection equipment
Sava M-90 – SA-13 SAM version, designated Strela-10MJ
MOS – self-propelled mine layer
M-80AK/M-98A – new gun turret with 30mm M86 cannon or 30mm dual feed M89 cannon
M-80AB1 – advanced armour, turret gun control equipment, optronics package, smoke grenade launchers and the ability to mount and launch the upgraded 9M14 Malyutka missile variants
MIP 11, tv homing heads for guided missiles, laser homing heads for guided missiles, system for acoustic source localization - HEMERA, inertial guidance systems for missiles, explosive reactive armour M99, battery command and control system for Nora B-52, M07G mortar ballistic computer, tank engine protection from wrong start-up, system for automatic control and jamming of mobile telephony, radio jammers against remotely controlled improvised explosive devices, software packages for command and control of air defense assets from the command and control centers, MOMS surveillance-sighting system.
Upgrades modernization and modifications
Neva-M1T, SA-341, upgraded howitzer 105mm M56/33, upgraded howitzer 105mm M101/33, upgraded BTR-50, modernization programs for the T-55 and T-72 family of tanks.
Specialized laboratories
Aerodynamics
Spatial Forms and Lengths Measuring
Experimental Modal Analysis, Vibration and Balancing Analysis
Experimental Strength
Experimental Ballistics
Testing of Solid Propellant Rocket Motors
Power-Generating Materials
Servo-Systems
Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Simulation and Telemetry
Electro-Inertial Sensors
NBC Protection
Electromagnetic Compatibility
Radio-Relay Systems and Multiplex Equipment
Micrography
Optoelectronics
Guidance and Control
Electric Power Devices
Fairs and scientific-technical gatherings
Military Technical Institute regularly exhibits at Partner and IDEX military fairs as well as organizing OTEX scientific-technical gathering.
Technical cooperation
Military Technical Institute cooperates with following overhaul institutes:
Technical Overhaul Institute "Čačak" (Tehnički remontni zavod "Čačak")
Technical Overhaul Institute "Đurđe Dimitrijević-Đura" (Tehnički remontni zavod "Đurđe Dimitrijević-Đura")
Aeronautical Overhaul Institute "Moma Stanojlović" (Vazduhoplovni tehnički zavod "Moma Stanojlović")
Documentary and publishing activity
Making of technical documentation, films and books represents an important part of VTI as publisher, it represents institute output and quantifier of more than sixty years involvement in R&D missions. The institute possesses technical documentation for over 1300 items of weaponry and defense equipment developed through institute history that are introduced in service in the armed forces. This documentation being intellectual property of MoD, it has an outstanding value and use for future projects.
