Armenian Air Force

The Armenian Air Force is structured and equipped as a tactical force designed primarily to support the nation's ground forces. Operating within a joint Air and Air Defense Force structure, its main roles include ground attack and airlift in mountainous environments. The force is organized into brigades, a structure intended to provide greater maneuverability compared to the larger divisions of its Soviet-era legacy. Its air defense branch is considered an essential component, integrated with most of the Soviet-era radar and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems left in the country's territory.

Armenia's strategic doctrine is officially defensive, aimed at protecting national independence and territorial integrity. Historically reliant on Soviet-style attritional warfare, the Armenian armed forces are undergoing a doctrinal shift. The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war exposed the limitations of this approach against an adversary employing advanced drones and precision-guided munitions. Consequently, there is an ongoing effort to adopt principles of maneuver warfare, prioritizing force survivability and flexibility to counter technological disadvantages. This includes buying time for diplomatic intervention and preventing a decisive military defeat.

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war was the air force's most significant recent combat engagement. During the conflict, Azerbaijani forces established air superiority, largely through the effective use of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and standoff weapons, which neutralized Armenian air defense systems. Armenian Su-25 attack jets conducted sorties, but the air force's overall impact was limited. The newly acquired Su-30SM fighters were not a factor, reportedly due to the lack of advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

In response to the 2020 conflict's outcome, Armenia has accelerated modernization and diversified its defense partnerships, reducing its traditional reliance on Russia. A program involves the potential upgrade of its four Su-30SM fighters with assistance from India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This modernization could include fitting the aircraft with Indian avionics, electronic warfare suites, and weapons such as the Astra beyond-visual-range missile. Armenia has also been in talks to acquire additional Su-30 variants from India. Air defense modernization is a priority, with acquisitions of Akash SAM systems from India and Mistral short-range air defense systems and Thales Ground Master-200 radars from France.