Armenia has showcased its arsenal of Indian-made weapon systems in active service during the official four-day visit of India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan to Yerevan.
The lineup included the Akash-1S medium-range air defense system, Pinaka multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), 155mm advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS), 155mm Trajan towed howitzer artillery system, and the MArG 155 self-propelled artillery system.
Armenia procured these systems from India over the years as part of its efforts to diversify defense partnerships, moving away from its traditional reliance on Russian defense materiel amid reports of Moscow’s allegedly delayed arms deliveries to Yerevan.
Indian Weapons in Armenian Armed Forces
The South Caucasus country emerged as India’s largest weapons importer since 2020, according to The Jamestown Foundation.
Ties were further deepened with Yerevan’s appointment of a defense attaché to its New Delhi embassy in 2023, a move that India reciprocated in 2024.
It became the first buyer of several of India’s indigenously developed weapons, including the Swathi counter-battery radars, which detect enemy artillery firing positions from up to 75 kilometers (47 miles) away.
Moreover, Armenia was the first to buy three variants of India’s Pinaka MLRS for around $265 million in 2024: the baseline model with a 37.5-kilometer (23-mile) range, a version with an extended range of up to 45 kilometers (28 miles), and a variant with precision-guided strikes at up to 75 kilometers (47 miles).
Yerevan was also the first foreign operator of the Akash-1S surface-to-air missile system, part of a $2-billion defense partnership signed in 2020, that can counter a range of aerial threats from up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles), including guided missiles, fighter aircraft, and drones.
In 2023, it purchased the 155mm ATAGS and completed trials for the initial batch in 2024, with plans to order more.
In addition to these, Armenia was reportedly in advanced negotiations with India to purchase Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-built Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets.
