iran has developed and manufactures a range of interesting weapons, including the Majid AD-08 short-range air defense system. It was difficult to predict, however, that the first customer would be Armenia a country actively trying to distance itself from russia.
The iranian air defense system made its public appearance at Armenia's military parade marking Republic Day on May 29, 2026. It was mounted on an Iveco chassis rather than the previously known ARAS-2 iran's copy of the Toyota Land Cruiser.
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In addition to the launcher, an unknown mobile radar was also shown, which extends the system's intercept range to 12 km. Without it, the system relies on an electro-optical targeting station, providing a firing range of up to 8 km and an engagement ceiling of up to 6 km.
As Defense Express recalls, the Majid AD-08 was first publicly unveiled in January 2022 during the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps exercise Guardians of the Sky 1400. Its missile uses passive infrared guidance and can employ either the electro-optical station or the radar.
Armenia's desire to diversify away from russia following the failure in the Karabakh War makes complete sense. The country has been actively placing orders for a range of weapons, including artillery and air defense systems from India, and is also considering the procurement of tactical ballistic missile systems from the same source.
Other suppliers are also in the picture France with its CAESAR howitzers and Bastion systems, and China with drones. Armenia's addition of iran to this list therefore appears somewhat surprising given the available alternatives.
One explanation is that the Majid AD-08 is among the most accessible solutions on the market in terms of price and relative simplicity, and can be delivered quickly allowing Armenia to build up capabilities here and now. It also enables diversification of the national arsenal, reducing critical dependence on a single arms supplier as was previously the case with russia.
As for how iran was able to deliver an air defense system despite active hostilities, the most likely explanation is that the transfer took place before the current war with the United States began. The parade appearance is, after all, Armenia's first public presentation of the system — and the actual delivery may have occurred considerably earlier.
Translated by Taisiia Vivdych.
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