MEDIA: India ships first Akash air defense missile systems battery to  Armenia

ArmInfo.India is shipping the first Akash air defense missile systems battery, manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited, to Armenia, as was reported by the New Indian Express.  The source notes that the Secretary Defense  Production in the Ministry of Defense, Sanjeev Kumar "flagged off the 1st Akash Weapon System  Battery to a Friendly Foreign Country." "This event reflects India's growing capabilities in defense technology and manufacturing," Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) said.

It is also noted that, as previously stated by Indian Defense  Minister Rajnath Singh, the missile version of Akash to be exported  will be different from the system introduced into the Indian armed  forces.  The publication also mentions that in 2022, Armenia inked a  deal with India to purchase 15 Akash missile systems and became the  first foreign country to buy this missile system.  Earlier, Indian  media wrote that Armenia is among the top three largest buyers of  Indian defense products, alongside the United States and France.

In the past four years, Armenia has concluded several agreements with  India to purchase missiles, artillery guns, missile systems, radars,  body armor, night vision devices, as well as a variety of ammunition  and artillery shells. Additionally, Armenia became the first foreign  purchaser of the Indian-developed Akash air defense system.

In late September 2022, Armenia signed a contract exceeding $250  million to purchase weapons from India. It includes Indian 214 mm  Pinaka multiple launch rocket systems and rockets for them, unnamed  anti-tank missile systems and various ammunition. By the autumn of  2023, Indian Defence Research Wing reported that in early August, the  Indian defense company Bharat Forge LTD had delivered six ATAGS towed  155mm howitzers to Armenia as part of a  $155.5 million agreement.  The contract envisages the delivery of 90 artillery pieces of this  kind to Armenia within a three-year period.