India Is An Ideal Candidate For Improving Armenia’s Su-30 Fighter Jets

Rumor has it that Armenia is “eager” on having India provide weapons and prepare fighter pilots for its Russian-built Su-30SM Flanker fighter jets. Whereas no such association has been confirmed, New Delhi may definitely enhance these Armenian plane markedly. However is that actually a precedence for Yerevan?

India has an infinite fleet of 272 Su-30MKI Flankers, most of them constructed by New Delhi beneath license. Other than working such a lot of these fighters for 20 years, India has additionally acquired and developed formidable non-Russian armaments for them.

“What makes the Indian Su-30MKI completely different from the Flankers operated the world over is that it’s a lovely integration of assorted weapons, sensors, and avionics from all around the world,” an ace Indian fighter pilot informed native media in January.

These missiles notably embody an air-launched model of the indigenous BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, giving the Su-30MKI a substantive standoff functionality, and the Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BRAAM).

Protection ties between India and Armenia have noticeably elevated in current months. Yerevan grew to become the primary overseas buyer for the Indian-built Pinaka multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) when it ordered 4 batteries for an estimated $250 million in 2022. Moreover, the 2 international locations are involved about rising trilateral army ties between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan. Due to this fact, it could make sense in the event that they cooperate to enhance Armenia’s Su-30 fleet.

Alternatively, Yerevan could have reservations about investing extra in these plane.

Armenia acquired 4 Su-30SMs in 2019. The federal government of Nikol Pashinyan extolled the acquisition of the trendy fighter plane, proclaiming that the nation was lastly shifting on from the times of purchasing round for reasonable, low-tech second-hand Soviet-era techniques. His optimism proved fatally untimely. Armenian Flankers remained idle all through the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh battle towards Azerbaijan since they lacked essential armaments, notably guided air-to-surface munitions. Sending these glossy jets into fight with unguided rockets would undoubtedly have resulted in losses with little to no discernible acquire on the battlefield.

Azerbaijan destroyed a number of Armenian air protection techniques utilizing Israeli-built Harop loitering munitions throughout that conflict. Baku’s profitable use of such weaponry strongly indicated that Yerevan made a deadly blunder by spending a lot of its restricted army funds on a handful of flashy Flankers on the direct expense of its nascent drone trade. “White Elephant” grew to become the derisory nickname critics used to explain these jets.

Armenia initially hoped to accumulate no less than a dozen Su-30SMs. It is unclear if it can push forward with procuring one other eight in gentle of this expertise. Alternatively, promoting its current 4 again to Russia would most probably show untenable in gentle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yerevan already denied rumors final March that it had transferred its Flankers again to Moscow to be used in that conflict.

Moreover, any Armenian acquisition of further Su-30s may spur Azerbaijan to reply by buying fashionable fighters. Baku may nicely use an Armenian procurement, which Yerevan can ailing afford, as an excuse to lastly purchase the JF-17 Thunder fighter collectively developed by China and Pakistan, which it has had its eye on for years. A dozen JF-17 Block 3 fighters armed with Chinese language PL-15 BVRAAM would vastly enhance Azerbaijani airpower and sure negate any benefit extra Flankers would supply Armenia.

Yerevan could, subsequently, accept one thing within the center. It may request Indian experience and techniques to enhance the 4 Flankers it already has so they might turn out to be considerably helpful within the occasion of one other conflict with Azerbaijan, which stays a chance.

Indian engineers may modify the plane to hold the Astra and even the BrahMos, doubtlessly enabling Armenia to strike targets deep inside Azerbaijan. Baku has already had its Soviet-era Su-25 Frogfoot assault planes modernized. These plane are, amongst different issues, able to carrying Turkish-built arms, together with the long-range SOM cruise missile.

Such an association may assist Armenia avoid wasting face by proving that the preliminary Flanker acquisition was not an utter waste, because of the distinctive capabilities India can present.