June: 1, 2026
During the press conference of RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan on January 13 of this year 168.amthe asked a question: will it be possible to use the Su-30SMs in their full capacity one day, to which he said:
“We have enough certain weapons for the Su-30SMs, but additions are also expected. The Su-30SMs are pretty good fighters, I appreciate their role very much. And I think that they can play a big role both in air defense and territorial integrity of our country.”
At the same time, Suren Papikyan offered to refrain from information on whether the number of fighter jets can be increased, as it was agreed at the time that the armed forces should have 8-12 units of Su-30, but only 4 were acquired.
It should be noted that the Su-30s are to be purchased the idea Former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Davit Tonoyan and former Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia Artak Davtyan were initially not greeted by the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly Andranik Kocharyan, and immediately after the end of the 44-day period, he raised questions related to its application to the war.
But even in this case, how? 168.am wrote, Andranik Kocharyan has decided Attach to the 44-day report his several-page letter-analysis related to the Su-30s, which he presented to Pashinyan, and which was also mentioned in the investigative commission during Pashinyan’s interrogation.
Anyway, during the military parade-debrief held on May 28 in Republic Square had made flights Su-30s, which were also followed by international experts and made certain records.
In particular, both Military Watch Magazine (MWM) and OSINT analysts (intelligence based on open sources) Iranian “Yasin” planing aerial bombs were noticed under the wings of the Su-30s in the arsenal of the RA Armed Forces.
By: open data, The Yasin high-precision bomb with a planning and correction module weighs 300 kilograms, the mass of the warhead is 225 kilograms, and it belongs to the MK-82 class.
The aerial bomb is designed for hitting stationary targets using GPS satellite navigation and inertial navigation systems.
According to available information, the range of the bomb under standard conditions is 50-60 kilometers, and in case of release or throwing from the optimal height, it can reach up to 120 kilometers.
Of course, experts also noticed Iranian-made “Majid AD-08” air defense systems at the May 28 military parade. Naturally, such information cannot be officially confirmed or denied for objective reasons, and we can only rely on professional opinions and some episodes.
In February, with the caption “Military-political and military footnotes of Suren Papikyan’s visit to Iran”. article: we published, where we did not exclude such possibilities, taking into account some episodes in the context of the visit.
Returning to Andranik Kocharyan’s point of view regarding the purchase of Su-30s, let us add that on April 15, 2025, in the National Assembly, NA Speaker Alen Simonyan, referring to what they did and did not do in the army and criticisms of the opposition, in particular, had announced.
“… Or, you say you brought Sue, so maybe we just sat down, opened the menu and looked at what to take?” Your military gave advice, the military gives advice, they say: we need this or that.”
In other words, one of the key figures of the government who did political PR with Su-erov for their acquisition “sin” had tried to cast on the military and consider them not their own when they were working in their government at the time.
And now, when the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, representing the ruling power, highly appreciates the role of these fighter jets and has even thought about the “additions” intended for them, to whom is the current leadership of the country, including Alen Simonyan, grateful for the military parade? To the soldiers who worked during the previous years, or to Nikol Pashinyan, who is far from military affairs? I also wonder if the opposition forces that have criticized the Su for its lack of missiles, if they are convinced that the existing “add-ons” will allow it to be used to its full potential, will change their opinion regarding these fighters.
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Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/06/02/have-the-additions-for-the-su-30s-promised-by-suren-papikyan-arrived/
