NEW DELHI: In the first such engagement by the senior Indian military leadership, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan is leading a high-level defence delegation on a four-day official visit to Armenia to strengthen bilateral defence engagement and long-term security cooperation. The visit represents the highest-level Indian military engagement with Yerevan so far and is the first known official visit by a serving Indian military chief to the South Caucasus republic.
The arrival of the Indian defence delegation was confirmed by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) on X, which said Gen. Chauhan had reached Armenia on Sunday for a four-day official visit aimed at advancing shared strategic interests and strengthening long-term defence and security cooperation between the two countries. Sources said that the discussions are subsequently expected to focus on expanding defence cooperation, including possibilities for co-development and co-production of military systems and deeper industrial linkages.
The visit comes amid a steady expansion of defence engagement between India and Armenia over the past few years, driven both by Armenia’s evolving security requirements and India’s push to emerge as a defence exporter. The two countries have also institutionalised their defence dialogue through regular interactions, including the Joint Working Group Meeting on Defence Cooperation held in Hyderabad in October last year. That meeting reviewed the trajectory of bilateral military ties and resulted in a defence cooperation programme that began implementation this year, covering military education and training, expert exchanges, institutional cooperation and defence industry engagement.
Armenia has emerged as one of the most significant overseas buyers of Indian-made defence equipment, alongside much larger markets such as the United States and France. The relationship is notable not only for the scale of purchases but for the nature of the acquisitions, with Yerevan inducting complete frontline weapon systems rather than components or spares.
Among the most significant Indian exports to Armenia is the Akash-1S air defence missile system, with Yerevan becoming the first foreign country to induct the platform. The acquisition marked Armenia’s first major purchase of an Indian surface-to-air missile system and was aimed at plugging critical gaps in its air defence architecture. Armenia also ordered four Swathi weapon-locating radars from India in early 2020 under a contract valued at roughly Rs. 300 crore, with deliveries beginning the following year.
Furthermore, in 2022, Armenia signed a major contract for four batteries of the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system in a deal estimated to be around Rs. 2000 crores.The agreement covers launchers, command-and-control vehicles, logistics support vehicles and associated ammunition, including guided rockets.
More recently, just two weeks ago, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the first consignment of guided Pinaka rockets for Armenia. The rockets were manufactured by Pune-based Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited.
Furthermore, reports also indicate that Armenia has shown interest in India for the possible procurement of missiles, including the indigenous beyond-visual-range Astra air-to-air missile, and has also explored options for upgrading its Sukhoi-30 fighters, issues that are expected to figure in the discussions during the visit.