Armenia has officially denied any agreements or negotiations with India regarding the purchase of russian Su-30 fighter jets. This statement may be significant, especially amid new reports suggesting that Yerevan could instead opt for the French Dassault Rafale.
Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan stated that no talks or deals were made with the Indian side. While some might interpret this as an attempt to ease regional tensions before any official contract is signed, the denial still stands as the first formal response.
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Refusing to buy the Su-30MKI makes sense for several reasons most notably because the proposed upgraded version offered by India does not yet exist as a fully developed aircraft.Although modernization is planned, it has not been completed, raising doubts about whether India could deliver on schedule by 2027.
Moreover, despite India's local production, the Su-30MKI remains a russian-origin aircraft, still dependent on certain russian components and limited by licensing restrictions. Considering Armenia's disillusionment with Moscow and the CSTO after its failure to assist during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, purchasing russian-origin jets would pose political and strategic challenges.
France, on the other hand, has increased its support for Armenia in recent years following Yerevan's defeat by Azerbaijan. The two countries have signed a defense cooperation agreement that has already resulted in several deliveries of military equipment.
In this context, choosing the Rafale is logical. It is a mature, combat-proven multirole fighter equipped with modern long-range weapons and would serve as a credible counterbalance to the Pakistani JF-17s recently acquired by Azerbaijan.
The main issue with selecting the Rafale, however, is cost. For a new customer like Armenia, the total price per aircraft including training, weapons, and support could easily exceed €200 million, making the project substantially more expensive than acquiring Indian-built Su-30MKIs.
Thus, a potential Rafale deal would likely depend on France extending a defense loan to Armenia. Delivery timelines also remain uncertain: under normal circumstances, it could take up to nine years, although Paris could accelerate the process by supplying aircraft from its own air force inventory.
For now, everything beyond Armenias official denial of Su-30MKI purchases remains speculation. Still, a switch to the Rafale would make strategic and political sense even if the practical implementation of such a deal would be complex and costly.
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