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CHINESE ANALOGUES OF RUSSIAN "SMERCH" SYSTEMS FOR ARMENIAN ARMY: FROM WORDS TO DEEDS
by Ashot Safaryan
ARMINFO
Friday, August 23, 15:15
The latest reports of RFE/RL Armenia Service on acquisition of Chinese
AR1A multiple launch rocket systems by Armenia has evidently awakened
the local mass media, particularly anti-Russian media outlets,
giving them a fresh impetus to again call for refusal from Russian
weapons and diversification of the suppliers of up-to-date weapons
and military equipment.
Actually, Armenia buys weapons and military hardware mostly from
Russia. Representatives of the Defense Ministry and other structures
supervising the field used to say that Armenia acquires weapons from
Russia at preferential prices, but they avoid speaking of the quality
of the acquired weaponry. On the other hand, Armenia shows growing
interest in up-to-date solutions of the leading European countries in
the field. Yet in August 2012, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said
after a press conference with his Italian counterpart that Armenia
is interested in Italy's experience in the field of military industry.
Cooperation with Italy like with many other countries is promising for
Armenia. Poland, for instance, is taking more tangible but still timid
steps to enter the Armenian market. In April 2013, Poland and Armenia
signed an agreement to set up a joint venture of Lubawa Group, Poland
and Charentsavan machine- building plant, Armenia. The company LUBAWA
Armenia is expected to produce multiscale optical camouflage nets (87%
of turnover), T-72 mock-ups (10% of turnover) and tents (3% of the
turnover). These and other examples clearly demonstrate the Armenian
leadership's efforts to certainly diversify weaponry suppliers.
Unfortunately, these efforts have not produced any tangible results in
the view of some factors. Firstly, Armenia has political dependence
on Russia and feels shortage or seeming shortage of funds. In the
meanwhile, diversification could become a serious background for not
only and not so much modernization of the armed forces, but for better
maneuvering on the foreign political arena. Concealing their concern
over delivery of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan and trying to 'protect'
the Russians from the righteous anger, the military leadership of
Armenia are well aware that "if you say in the first chapter that
there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter
it absolutely must go off." This dramatic principle is relevant to
our neighbor as never before considering its huge military budget
that is equal to Armenia's state budget. However, extreme dependence
on Moscow restricts Yerevan. What we can do now is to stay aside and
look at how our strategic ally equips the army of our enemy.
In the meanwhile, diversification could make those deals transparent.
It would be naïve to hope for transparent fulfillment of a
contract given the corrupt Russian military-industrial complex and
unhealthy state procurement system in Armenia full of "kickbacks and
curve-outs." It is hardly possible to apply such methods dealing with
Western partners.
Hopefully, the Chinese AR1A multiple launch rocket systems will not
become the only example of diversification in the field. It would
be good if the country used the diversified military-industrial
complex of Israel, one of the world's leading arms manufacturers and
exporters. Military cooperation with Israel would be quite effective
for the Armed Forces of Armenia, but it requires close political
cooperation of the countries. Such scenario seems impossible amid
deep Armenian-Iranian interaction and Israeli-Azerbaijani relations,
but in such fast-changing region where once strong allies Israel and
Turkey are now on the opposite sides of the barricades, a change of
geopolitical landmarks and preferences is just paperwork. It helps to
remember that developing relations with Iran Armenia simultaneously
receives tangible economic aid from the USA - Iran's geopolitical
enemy number one.
Talks on inexpensive, relatively accessible Russian weapons are wide
open to criticism. Their goal is to justify the extremely inefficient
military spending. Throw a glace at the car fleet of the Defense
Ministry that consists of offroaders as big as armored vehicles,
at the luxurious offices and mansions of military officials worth
millions of dollars, to see that there is no shortage of funds.
Effective management of the budget funds and a true fight against
corruption would lay a good foundation for searching new weaponry
suppliers.
From: Baghdasarian
by Ashot Safaryan
ARMINFO
Friday, August 23, 15:15
The latest reports of RFE/RL Armenia Service on acquisition of Chinese
AR1A multiple launch rocket systems by Armenia has evidently awakened
the local mass media, particularly anti-Russian media outlets,
giving them a fresh impetus to again call for refusal from Russian
weapons and diversification of the suppliers of up-to-date weapons
and military equipment.
Actually, Armenia buys weapons and military hardware mostly from
Russia. Representatives of the Defense Ministry and other structures
supervising the field used to say that Armenia acquires weapons from
Russia at preferential prices, but they avoid speaking of the quality
of the acquired weaponry. On the other hand, Armenia shows growing
interest in up-to-date solutions of the leading European countries in
the field. Yet in August 2012, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said
after a press conference with his Italian counterpart that Armenia
is interested in Italy's experience in the field of military industry.
Cooperation with Italy like with many other countries is promising for
Armenia. Poland, for instance, is taking more tangible but still timid
steps to enter the Armenian market. In April 2013, Poland and Armenia
signed an agreement to set up a joint venture of Lubawa Group, Poland
and Charentsavan machine- building plant, Armenia. The company LUBAWA
Armenia is expected to produce multiscale optical camouflage nets (87%
of turnover), T-72 mock-ups (10% of turnover) and tents (3% of the
turnover). These and other examples clearly demonstrate the Armenian
leadership's efforts to certainly diversify weaponry suppliers.
Unfortunately, these efforts have not produced any tangible results in
the view of some factors. Firstly, Armenia has political dependence
on Russia and feels shortage or seeming shortage of funds. In the
meanwhile, diversification could become a serious background for not
only and not so much modernization of the armed forces, but for better
maneuvering on the foreign political arena. Concealing their concern
over delivery of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan and trying to 'protect'
the Russians from the righteous anger, the military leadership of
Armenia are well aware that "if you say in the first chapter that
there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter
it absolutely must go off." This dramatic principle is relevant to
our neighbor as never before considering its huge military budget
that is equal to Armenia's state budget. However, extreme dependence
on Moscow restricts Yerevan. What we can do now is to stay aside and
look at how our strategic ally equips the army of our enemy.
In the meanwhile, diversification could make those deals transparent.
It would be naïve to hope for transparent fulfillment of a
contract given the corrupt Russian military-industrial complex and
unhealthy state procurement system in Armenia full of "kickbacks and
curve-outs." It is hardly possible to apply such methods dealing with
Western partners.
Hopefully, the Chinese AR1A multiple launch rocket systems will not
become the only example of diversification in the field. It would
be good if the country used the diversified military-industrial
complex of Israel, one of the world's leading arms manufacturers and
exporters. Military cooperation with Israel would be quite effective
for the Armed Forces of Armenia, but it requires close political
cooperation of the countries. Such scenario seems impossible amid
deep Armenian-Iranian interaction and Israeli-Azerbaijani relations,
but in such fast-changing region where once strong allies Israel and
Turkey are now on the opposite sides of the barricades, a change of
geopolitical landmarks and preferences is just paperwork. It helps to
remember that developing relations with Iran Armenia simultaneously
receives tangible economic aid from the USA - Iran's geopolitical
enemy number one.
Talks on inexpensive, relatively accessible Russian weapons are wide
open to criticism. Their goal is to justify the extremely inefficient
military spending. Throw a glace at the car fleet of the Defense
Ministry that consists of offroaders as big as armored vehicles,
at the luxurious offices and mansions of military officials worth
millions of dollars, to see that there is no shortage of funds.
Effective management of the budget funds and a true fight against
corruption would lay a good foundation for searching new weaponry
suppliers.
From: Baghdasarian