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.