Friday, February 1 2019 13:17

ArmInfo. Moscow and Yerevan have signed a contract for the purchase of four Su-30SM multi-role fighter jets, which Armenian forces should receive in 2020.

As it became known to Kommersant, the Russian negotiators made serious  concessions to implement the deal with the CSTO ally: they not only  allocated a loan, but also sold the aircraft at Russian domestic  prices, not export prices. According to Kommersant, this contract can  be considered as significant for the Armenian authorities as a whole,  and for the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan: for the first  time in decades, the Air Forces of the country acquire a new  aircraft, rather than used ones.

The press secretary of the Armenian Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan announced on signing a new agreement on Su- 30SM fighter jets on Thursday, refusing to clarify the details of the deal, adding only that . 

In Rosoboronexport (a special exporter of Russian weapons) and the  Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Kommersant  abstained from commenting. According to the top manager of one of the  aviation industry enterprises, under the terms of the contract, in  2020, Armenia will receive four new Su- 30SM fighter jets  (manufactured at the Irkutsk Aircraft Building Plant, part of the  Irkut Corporation). .

The contract also provides for the training of Armenian pilots  in Russian military establishments. The Armenian military began to  show substantive interest in the Su-30SM back in 2010 because of the  need to update the air force fleet (they are based on Soviet  aircraft, most of which need major repairs and modernization).

 Moreover, as "Kommersant" reported earlier, in 2012, Moscow and  Yerevan signed a contract, under the terms of which Armenia was to  receive at least 12 fighters for several years. But the agreement did  not enter into force due to the financial difficulties of the  customer. Since then, the parties have periodically returned to  discuss the prospects for the transaction, but for a long time they  failed to reach consensus.  Moreover, besides airplanes (Moscow tried  to solve the financial problem of Yerevan, allowing it to purchase  planes at domestic, rather than export prices), Armenia also had to  purchase other weapons. So, for example, Yerevan became the first  export recipient of the newest operational-tactical missile complex  , and also acquired weapons for $ 300 million in Russian  loans. On the issue of purchasing fighters, the Kommersant writes,  the sides returned after the change of power in Armenia: however,  based on the financial capabilities of the customer, the purchase of  already six Su-30CMs was discussed. 

Following the series of talks came together on four. "In fact, this  is the first contract concluded with the Armenian Defense Ministry  during the premiere of Nikol Pashinyan, it was important for us to  confirm the strength of our positions with the CSTO ally," the  newspaper source added. According to Andrei Frolov, editor-in-chief  of the magazine "Arms Exports", the purchase by Armenia of even a  small batch of Su- 30SM can be considered symbolic: for the first  time in the last decades, they are buying new fighters, not used  ones. "This is a serious step that can significantly increase the  combat potential of the country's air force," Mr. Frolov said.

At the same time, according to him, Azerbaijan's reaction to this agreement  will be expectedly negative, since the Azerbaijani Air Force does not  have such advanced aircraft, there are only MiG-29 fighters  modernized in Ukraine. "This Russian-Armenian contract may push Baku  to purchase new aircraft, and not necessarily in Russia, but, for  example, from Pakistan," the expert believes.