Amid a growing rift with its historical military ally Russia, Yerevan has recently ordered large amounts of new weaponry from India. The most recent reported purchase is an Indian-developed anti-drone system that Yerevan hopes will counter the unmanned aerial threat from Azerbaijan.
Armenia's New Indian Weaponry
A vehicle from the Indian-made Zen anti-drone system
On November 9, an Armenian defense official told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service they could "neither confirm nor deny" a recent Indian media report that Yerevan had signed a deal worth some $41 million to purchase several Zen anti-drone systems. The units are designed to detect, then bring down enemy drones with radio scrambling, or employ an air-defense gun for a "hard kill."
An Armenian soldier looks up as a drone passes overhead in October 2020 during the second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
In response to questions about the Zen drone system, the Armenian defense official said, "the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia are working intensively to increase the level of defense capability." Armenia’s lack of drone countermeasures were a major factor in the 2020 war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. If confirmed, the Zen purchase would be the latest of a large array of Indian weapons now bound for Armenia.
A Pinaka multibarrel rocket launcher is seen in West Bengal, India, in January 2023.
In July 2023, India’s first-ever export of its domestically made Pinaka rocket system reportedly arrived in Armenia. Azerbaijan alleged the weapons systems were transported through Iran to Armenia's southern border.
A Pinaka unit fires a salvo in Odisha, India, in November 2020.
The Pinaka system is named after the bow of Indian deity Shiva. Its range of 40 kilometers is relatively short compared to some Soviet-designed rocket systems, but it has been dubbed the “Indian HIMARS” for its reported accuracy. The Armenian purchase was valued at $260 million for several Pinaka launcher systems and associated ammunition.
Indian-made Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems take part in a parade in India in 2017.
In August 2023, Armenia received its first shipment of India’s Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS). Yerevan has reportedly ordered 84 of the weapons at a cost of $155.5 million, and was the first country India sold the newly developed artillery systems to.
An ATAGS unit is tested in India.
ATAGS are 155 mm howitzers designed to be towed by trucks, but can also drive short distances under their own power, reducing the “packup” time required for moving the weapon out of position. The guns suffered multiple setbacks during their development, which began in 2013, with one exploding during training in September 2020. Several Indian soldiers were injured when a ATAGS gun barrel reportedly burst due to poor-quality steel.
A truck-mounted Thales Ground Master 200 radar system in Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France in February 2020
In another sign of Yerevan pivoting away from Moscow, the country’s military -- which has historically relied on Soviet- and Russian-made military hardware -- also acquired three French-made Thales Ground Master 200 radar systems in October 2023. President Ilham Aliyev has bristled at the recent new arms acquisitions by Armenia, saying France would be "responsible" for any new conflict breaks out, and claiming India was creating "an environment that fosters hostility and mistrust," through its arms sales to Armenia.