Armenian Air Force
The Armenian Air Force was formed in 1992 from a handful of Soviet aircraft left behind in the Armenian SSR, flew a small Su-25 and helicopter war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1992-94, grew up inside a joint air defence system with Russia whose 3624th Air Base still sits beside it at Erebuni, bought four Su-30SM fighters that the Prime Minister later said had no missiles when the 2020 war came, and since 2024 has turned away from the CSTO towards Indian and French equipment.
The Armenian Air Force story: three Soviet aircraft, two Karabakh wars and a Russian air base next door
1991–1992: three combat aircraft and a date nobody agrees on
Armenia had no air force when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. What it had was airfields – Erebuni, south of Yerevan, had hosted a Soviet fighter squadron since 1938 – and whatever Soviet equipment it could take over. According to the declaration Armenia made under the arms-control treaties, quoted by Wikipedia, it inherited only three operational combat aircraft and at least 13 armed helicopters; the Air Combat Information Group (ACIG) history believes these included one MiG-25 interceptor and two Su-25 attack aircraft, alongside six An-2, one An-24 and one An-32 transports and ten Yak-52 trainers. When the air force began is itself a matter of sources. Wikipedia gives August 1992 and Air Force Day is kept on 26 June, the Ministry of Defence marking the 28th anniversary in 2020; the Moscow Defense Brief wrote in 2002 that the air force was established in the summer of 1993. The ministry dates its air defence department to an order of 14 September 1992. Air force and air defence have remained two separate departments of the General Staff ever since.
1992–1994: the air war over Nagorno-Karabakh
The air force was born into a war that had been going on since February 1988. The ACIG history, the most detailed published account, says the new service began offensive operations in October 1992 and lost its first aircraft on 12 November 1992, an Mi-24 supporting the Armenians’ Martuni offensive, shot down near Kazakh. Mi-8s were hit on 23 November and 30 December. After Azerbaijani forces cut the Lachin corridor on 2 January 1993, Armenian counter-attacks began on 7 January – the worst day of the war for the air force, with an Mi-8, an Mi-24 and a Su-25 (possibly Russian, the author notes) shot down. One Mi-8 was lost during the Kelbajar operation, on 16 April 1993; the same source records no further losses before the ceasefire. Azerbaijan, with roughly 45 combat aircraft according to Wikipedia’s summary, had the larger air arm; Armenia’s strength lay on the ground and in air defence, which the ministry says destroyed more than ten enemy aircraft and helicopters, the first on 16 April 1992. The Bishkek ceasefire took effect on 12 May 1994 with Armenian forces holding Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts of Azerbaijan.
1994–2019: Su-25s, a Russian air base and a joint air defence system
Peace made Armenia’s air power a joint venture with Russia. A 1995 treaty gave Russia a base in Armenia for 25 years, extended in 2010 to 2044. Its 102nd Military Base at Gyumri has an air component, the 3624th Air Base at Erebuni: Wikipedia, citing Russian sources, puts 18 MiG-29s of the 426th Fighter Squadron there, delivered in four batches between December 1998 and October 1999, and on 8 December 2015 six Mi-24Ps and an Mi-8MT were added. Armenian and Russian air defences have stood joint combat duty since 15 April 1999, the ministry says, and a Joint Air Defence System of the Caucasus was signed in December 2015 and ratified in June 2016. The Armenian air force itself stayed small: in August 2004, Wikipedia reports citing the Slovak agency SITA, it bought ten surplus Su-25s from Slovakia for about US$1 million, two Il-76s came from Russia and L-39 trainers from Russia and Ukraine. Air combat in these years came in flashes: on 12 November 2014 an Mi-24 was shot down near Aghdam with its crew of three (Armenia said it belonged to the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army and was unarmed; Azerbaijan said it made attack manoeuvres), and the four days of April 2016 were a drone and air defence war.
2019–2020: the Su-30SM and the 44-day war
In January 2019 the new government of Nikol Pashinyan agreed to buy four Su-30SM multirole fighters, Armenia’s first new fighters; Kommersant reported that they were sold at the price Russia’s own forces pay, financed from a US$100 million Russian credit. Air Recognition reported the first pair arriving on 27 December 2019, while Pashinyan later said the aircraft were delivered in May 2020. Then came the war of 27 September to 10 November 2020. It was an air war Armenia lost on the ground: Azerbaijan’s Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 and Israeli loitering munitions struck air defence systems, artillery and armour, and Azerbaijan used old An-2s as unmanned decoys. On 29 September Armenia said a Turkish F-16 had shot down one of its Su-25s over Vardenis, killing the pilot; Turkey denied it, and Azerbaijan said Armenian Su-25s had crashed for non-combat reasons. The Su-30SMs did not fly in combat. On 21 March 2021 Pashinyan said: “we bought the plane, it was delivered in May, and yes, we didn’t manage to buy missiles before the war,” a statement his opponents disputed. The Armenian government counts 3,825 servicemen killed; Azerbaijan 2,906.
2022–2024: the September fighting, the 2023 offensive and the break with the CSTO
The ceasefire of 9 November 2020 brought Russian peacekeepers into Nagorno-Karabakh but did not end the fighting. On 12 to 14 September 2022 Azerbaijani forces attacked positions inside Armenia; Armenia invoked the CSTO treaty and received, in its view, no real help. On 19 and 20 September 2023 Azerbaijan, which called the operation “local anti-terrorist measures”, defeated the Artsakh Defence Army in about a day; the self-declared republic’s president signed a decree on 28 September dissolving its institutions by 1 January 2024, and by 3 October, the Armenian government said, 100,617 refugees had crossed into Armenia – nearly the whole Armenian population of the region. The small Artsakh air arm (FlightGlobal still listed two Su-25s and ten helicopters) ceased to exist with the army. The Armenian Air Force is not reported to have flown in the offensive in the sources checked. In February 2024 Pashinyan froze Armenia’s participation in the CSTO, in March Russian border guards left Zvartnots airport, in May Armenia stopped paying CSTO dues, and on 12 June 2024 he said: “We will leave.”
2024–2026: a small air arm between old suppliers and new ones
What Armenia bought instead went mostly to the army and to air defence. India has supplied Swathi radars (2020), Pinaka rocket launchers (2022) and, according to Indian media summarised by Wikipedia, Akash air defence missiles, anti-drone systems and howitzers; France has sold air-defence equipment since October 2023, signed a letter of intent for Mistral missiles and a contract for 36 Caesar howitzers in June 2024. The first aircraft from a Western manufacturer followed on 18 June 2026, when Airbus signed for six H145 helicopters during Emmanuel Macron’s state visit – for transport missions, Airbus says, without naming the operating ministry. The flying fleet itself is still Soviet and Russian: FlightGlobal lists four Su-30s, about a dozen Su-25s, three Il-76s, Mi-24 and Mi-8/17 helicopters and L-39 trainers. The weaknesses are plain: four fighters whose armament the government has never publicly confirmed, an attack fleet from the 1980s, spares that come from Russia, and a Russian air base that still shares Armenia’s main military airfield. The August 2025 Washington declaration committing Armenia and Azerbaijan to a peace deal may matter more to its future than any aircraft.
The Armenian Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Հայաստանի Ռազմաօդային ՈւժերHayastani Razmaodayin Uzher, "Air Forces of Armenia", the name Wikipedia gives. The Ministry of Defence site does not use it: it lists the service as the Aviation Department of the General Staff (ԶՈՒ ԳՇ ավիացիայի վարչություն)
- Founded
- 1992Wikipedia gives August 1992 and combat operations from October 1992; Air Force Day is 26 June, and the ministry marked the 28th anniversary in 2020. The Moscow Defense Brief (2002) says the air force was established in the summer of 1993. The air defence department was created by ministerial order on 14 September 1992
- Part of
- Armed Forces of ArmeniaAviation and air defence are separate departments of the General Staff, under Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Edvard Asryan
- Headquarters
- YerevanThe General Staff Aviation Department in Yerevan; the main air base is Erebuni, 7 km south of the city centre
- Chief of Aviation
- Maj. Gen. Hovhannes VardanyanAppointed by presidential decree in October 2022, replacing Col. Gagik Aslanyan (2019–2022)
- Minister of Defence
- Suren PapikyanIn office since 15 November 2021, as listed on mil.am in September 2026
Strength
- Personnel
- About 5,000 (reported)Wikipedia’s infobox figure, with 54 aircraft; not published by the Ministry of Defence. Earlier estimates: about 2,000 in 1993 and 3,000 in 2004
- Combat aircraft
-
- Su-30SM — 4
- Su-25 — 12–16
FlightGlobal lists four Su-30s and 12 Su-25s plus two Su-25 trainers; Wikipedia gives 16 Su-25K. The Su-30SMs flew no combat missions in 2020
- Transport
-
- Il-76 — 3
FlightGlobal and Wikipedia agree on three
- Helicopters
-
- Mi-24 — 15–20
- Mi-8/17 — 11–16
- Mi-2 — 1–3
Lower figures FlightGlobal, higher Wikipedia
- Trainers
-
- L-39 — 9–12
Lower figure FlightGlobal, higher Wikipedia
- New suppliers since 2020
-
- India — radars, Pinaka launchers, Akash air defence (reported)
- France — air-defence equipment, Mistral letter of intent, 36 Caesar howitzers
Mostly for the army and ground-based air defence; attributed as in the story
- On order
- 6 Airbus H145Contract signed 18 June 2026; Airbus does not say which ministry will fly them
Infrastructure
- Main air base
- Erebuni, YerevanOwned by Armenia and shared with the Russian 3624th Air Base; single runway 03/21, 2,650 m, per Wikipedia
- Other military airfields
-
- Gyumri (Shirak) — attack aircraft in 2004; home area of the Russian 102nd base
- Arzni — training base
The 2004 order of battle in Wikipedia also lists aviation units at Kapan and Vanadzor; their current status was not confirmed
- Foreign air presence
- Russian 3624th Air Base, ErebuniPart of the 102nd Military Base; Wikipedia gives 18 MiG-29s of the 426th Fighter Squadron and, since December 2015, Mi-24P and Mi-8MT helicopters. Treaty of 1995, extended in 2010 to 2044
- Joint air defence
- With Russia since 15 April 1999Joint combat duty per the ministry; a Joint Air Defence System of the Caucasus signed December 2015 and ratified June 2016
- CSTO
- Participation frozen since February 2024Dues stopped in May 2024; on 12 June 2024 the Prime Minister said Armenia would leave at a date of its choosing
How the Armenian Air Force is organised
Military aviation is a department of the General Staff in Yerevan, headed by the Chief of Aviation of the Armed Forces, with air defence a separate department beside it. Erebuni, south of Yerevan, is the main military airfield and is shared with Russia’s 3624th Air Base; Su-25s flew from Gyumri in the 2004 order of battle, and flying training is at Arzni. The four Su-30SMs are Armenia’s only fighters, and their base has not been named in the sources checked.
Aviation Department of the General Staff
Armenia’s military aviation, headed since October 2022 by Maj. Gen. Hovhannes Vardanyan as Chief of Aviation of the Armed Forces, under the Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Edvard Asryan. The Ministry of Defence does not use the name Armenian Air Force, and air defence is a separate department of the General Staff.
Helicopter aviation at Erebuni
Armenia’s helicopters, a composite regiment at Yerevan in Tom Cooper’s 2004 order of battle as given by Wikipedia; the Ministry of Defence accepted new helicopters of an unstated type at Erebuni on 25 January 2022. The airfield is shared with the Russian 3624th Air Base of the 102nd Military Base. Current designation and strength are not published.
121st Ground Attack Aviation Squadron
The Su-25 unit at Gyumri in the 2004 order of battle, per Wikipedia; Su-25 flying from Gyumri was last confirmed by the crash of 4 December 2018. Its present designation and strength are not published, and the base of the four Su-30SM fighters has not been named in the sources checked.
Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University
Flying training at Arzni, listed as the 60th Aviation Training Squadron in the 2004 order of battle: 80 hours on the Yak-52, then jet conversion and advanced training on the L-39, as Air Forces Monthly described it in 2005, cited by Wikipedia. The ministry names the university but not its airfield.
Air Defence Troops Department
Created by ministerial order on 14 September 1992 and credited by the ministry with more than ten enemy aircraft and helicopters in 1992–1994. It has stood joint combat duty with Russian air defence since 15 April 1999, under a Joint Air Defence System of the Caucasus ratified in June 2016; whether joint duty continues in practice since 2024 is not publicly documented.
What the Armenian Air Force flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhoi Su-30SMIn service | Multirole fighter | 4 | 2019 | Four, per FlightGlobal and Wikipedia.
MoreContract reported by Kommersant on 31 January 2019; the defence minister said in February 2019 and August 2020 that Armenia wanted more, but no second batch was confirmed. |
||
| Sukhoi Su-25/Su-25K and Su-25UBKIn service | Close air support | 1992 | 12–16 single-seaters. FlightGlobal lists 12 plus two Su-25 trainers; Wikipedia gives 16 Su-25K. Numbers at the end of the 2020 war were not published. | |||
| Ilyushin Il-76M/TDIn service | Strategic transport | 3 | 2004 | Three per FlightGlobal and Wikipedia. | ||
| Mil Mi-24In service | Attack helicopter | 1992 | 15–20: FlightGlobal 15, Wikipedia 20. Fifteen were on strength at the end of 1994. | |||
| Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17In service | Transport helicopter | 1992 | 11–16: FlightGlobal lists 11 Mi-8/17/171, Wikipedia 16 Mi-17. Seven Mi-8/Mi-17 at the end of 1994. | |||
| Aero L-39C AlbatrosIn service | Jet trainer | 1994 | 9–12: FlightGlobal 9, Wikipedia 12. Two at the end of 1994. | |||
| PZL Mi-2In service | Training helicopter | 1994 | 1–3: FlightGlobal 1, Wikipedia 3. Two at the end of 1994. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus Helicopters H145On order | 6 | Signed on 18 June 2026 during President Macron’s state visit to Yerevan, Armenia’s first contract with Airbus Helicopters.
MoreAirbus describes them as multi-purpose helicopters for transport missions in mountainous terrain and does not name the operator or the military H145M variant; Wikipedia lists them under the air force. Delivery dates were not published. |
Every type the Armenian Air Force has retired
5 types, from the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 | Interceptor | 1 | 1992– | One, and uncertain: ACIG believes one was among the three combat aircraft inherited in 1992 and lists it as "possibly" still on strength at the end of 1994. | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-52 | Primary trainer | 10 | 1992– | Ten taken over in 1991–92 and still listed at the end of 1994. | ||
| Antonov An-2 | Light transport | 6 | 1992– | Six taken over and still listed at the end of 1994. | ||
| Antonov An-24, An-32 and An-72 | Transport | 1992– | One An-24 and one An-32 taken over in 1991–92; two An-72 listed at the end of 1994. | |||
| Tupolev Tu-134 and Tu-154 | Transport | 2 | 1994– | One of each at the end of 1994, per ACIG via Wikipedia. |
Where the Armenian Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. Erebuni is the only aerodrome the Armenian AIP marks as military, and it is shared with the Russian 3624th Air Base of the 102nd Military Base, headquartered in Gyumri; Gyumri’s Shirak Airport is a joint civil and military field and Arzni the training airfield. Zvartnots is Armenia’s main civil airport, which Russian border guards left in 2024, and Kapan held an aviation squadron in the 2004 order of battle, not confirmed since. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArzniKotayk Province, near Nor Hachn | Active |
|
||
| ErebuniYerevan, 7 km south of the city centre | UDYE | Active | 03/212,813 masphalt/concrete |
|
| Gyumri Shirak AirportShirak Province, Gyumri | UDSG | Active | 02/203,220 masphalt/concrete |
|
| Zvartnots International AirportArmavir Province (Parakar), west of Yerevan | UDYZ | Closed | 08/263,850 masphalt/concrete |
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Armenian Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. Armenia does not publish its order of battle: unit numbers such as the 121st Ground Attack Aviation Squadron come from Tom Cooper’s 2004 list as given by Wikipedia, and the Russian and Soviet units at Erebuni are listed too, marked as not Armenian. Where a designation rests on that list alone, the entry says so.
- Armenian Armed Forces helicopter aviation (15th Mixed Aviation Regiment in the 2004 order of battle)Helicopter unit · active
- Mil Mi-24, Mil Mi-8/Mi-17
- 3624th Air Base (Russian Aerospace Forces, 102nd Military Base)Foreign fighter and helicopter base · foreign
- MiG-29, Mi-24P, Mi-8MT/Mi-8SMV
- 700th Air Traffic Control Centre (Russian)Aviation control centre · foreign
- 84th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Soviet Air Forces)1939–1942
- Polikarpov I-15, Polikarpov I-16, Polikarpov I-153
- 121st Ground Attack Aviation Squadron (Gyumri Aviation Military Unit)Attack squadron · active
- Sukhoi Su-25/Su-25UBK
- Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University (60th Aviation Training Squadron in the 2004 order of battle)Flying training · active
- Yakovlev Yak-52, Aero L-39 Albatros, PZL Mi-2
No unit matches that search.
Armenian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
A Soviet fighter squadron with I-15, I-16 and I-153s is based at Erebuni, the airfield that becomes the Armenian Air Force’s main base.
20 February: the date Wikipedia gives for the start of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war.
16 April: air defence claims its first enemy aircraft (ministry). August: the air force is formed (Wikipedia). 14 September: the air defence department is created. October: first offensive air operations. 12 November: first combat loss, an Mi-24.
7 January: the worst day of the war for the air force, with an Mi-8, an Mi-24 and a Su-25 shot down (ACIG). 16 April: an Mi-8 lost in the Kelbajar operation.
12 May: the Bishkek ceasefire takes effect. The air force ends the year with five or six operational Su-25s.
16 March: Armenia signs the treaty giving Russia a military base for 25 years; it is extended in 2010 to 2044.
15 April: Armenian and Russian air defences begin joint combat duty. Russian MiG-29s reach the 3624th Air Base at Erebuni in four batches between December 1998 and October 1999.
May: two Il-76s from Russia. August: ten surplus Su-25s bought from Slovakia (Wikipedia, citing SITA).
12 November: an Mi-24 is shot down near Aghdam, killing three; Armenia says it was an unarmed Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army helicopter, Azerbaijan that it made attack manoeuvres.
December: agreement on a Joint Air Defence System of the Caucasus with Russia, ratified in June 2016.
1–5 April: four days of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, a drone and air defence war; Armenia claims two helicopters and 14 drones shot down, Azerbaijan admits one Mi-24 and one drone.
4 December: a Su-25 crashes near Maralik on a training flight from Gyumri, killing both pilots.
January: four Su-30SMs ordered from Russia. 27 December: the first pair is presented in Armenia (Air Recognition).
27 September–10 November: the second Karabakh war. 29 September: Armenia says a Turkish F-16 shot down one of its Su-25s; Turkey denies it. 9 November: a Russian Mi-24 is shot down over Armenia near Yeraskh; Azerbaijan apologises.
12–14 September: Azerbaijani attack on positions inside Armenia. October: Hovhannes Vardanyan becomes Chief of Aviation.
19–20 September: Azerbaijan’s offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh; the Artsakh Defence Army and its small air arm are disbanded, and more than 100,000 Karabakh Armenians leave for Armenia.
February: Armenia freezes its CSTO participation. March: Russian border guards leave Zvartnots airport. 12 June: Pashinyan says Armenia will leave the CSTO. June: 36 Caesar howitzers ordered from France.
18 June: Airbus and Armenia sign for six H145 helicopters during President Macron’s state visit.
Every war the Armenian Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- First Nagorno-Karabakh War 1992–1994 Flew Su-25 attack missions and Mi-24 and Mi-8 support and transport sorties for Armenian and Karabakh Armenian ground forces; air defence engaged Azerbaijani aircraft
- The April 2016 clashes 2016 Air defence against Azerbaijani helicopters and drones; no Armenian manned air combat is recorded in the sources checked
- Second Nagorno-Karabakh War 2020 Su-25 ground attack and helicopter support; ground-based air defence against Azerbaijani drones and aircraft
- The Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh 2023 No combat role for the Armenian Air Force is recorded in the sources checked; the fighting was between Azerbaijan and the Artsakh Defence Army
- Joint air defence duty with Russia 1999– Joint combat duty guarding Armenian airspace with the Russian 102nd Military Base and its 3624th Air Base
Who built the Armenian Air Force fleet
Every company behind the aircraft on this page has its own page: the story, every type it built, the numbers and the other air forces that fly them.
Current fleet and orders
Mil, Sukhoi, Aero Vodochody, Airbus Helicopters, Ilyushin, PZL-Świdnik
Everything people ask about the Armenian Air Force
What is the Armenian Air Force called in Armenian?
What aircraft does the Armenian Air Force fly?
Does Armenia have Su-30SM fighters with missiles?
When was the Armenian Air Force founded?
Did the Armenian Air Force fight in the first Karabakh war?
Was an Armenian Su-25 shot down by a Turkish F-16 in 2020?
Are there Russian fighter jets in Armenia?
Has Armenia left the CSTO?
What weapons has Armenia bought from India and France?
Who commands the Armenian Air Force?
Read the aircraft the Armenian Air Force flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: AF Aviation DepartmentHead: Major General Hovhannes Vardanyan; tasks of military aviation.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: Aviation Department (Armenian)Official Armenian name of the department and the head’s title.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: General StaffChief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Edvard Asryan (from 14 July 2022); separate aviation and air defence departments.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: AF Air Defence Troops DepartmentDepartment created 14 September 1992; more than ten enemy aircraft and helicopters destroyed in 1992–94, the first on 16 April 1992; joint duty with Russia from 15 April 1999; head Maj. Gen. Garik Movsisyan.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: Suren PapikyanMinister of Defence since 15 November 2021.
- Armenpress: June 26 – Armenian Air Force Day (26 June 2020)Ministry marks the 28th anniversary of the Air Force.
- Moscow Defense Brief 6/2002: Formation and Development of the Armenian Armed ForcesStates the air force was established in the summer of 1993; air defence restored in 1994.
- Armenpress: New head of the Aviation Department of the Armed Forces appointed (14 October 2022, Russian)Hovhannes Vardanyan appointed, Gagik Aslanyan relieved, by presidential decree.
- Armenia Today: Head of Armenian military aviation replaced (17 October 2022, Russian)Col. Gagik Aslanyan, in post since 2019, replaced by Hovhannes Vardanyan on the proposal of the Prime Minister.
- News.am: Chief of General Staff holds consultation (23 March 2019)Former head of the aviation department Maj. Gen. Avetik Muradyan thanked for his service.
- Kommersant: Russia sold fighters to Armenia as to itself (31 January 2019, Russian)Four Su-30SM at Russian domestic prices; US$100 million credit; delivery 2020; training included.
- TASS: Armenia may purchase additional Su-30SM fighters from Russia (13 February 2019)Defence Minister David Tonoyan: Armenia does not plan to be limited to four.
- Air Recognition: First batch of Russian-made Su-30SM fighters arrives in Armenia (December 2019)First pair on 27 December 2019, presented by Pashinyan.
- Public Radio of Armenia: Armenia in talks to purchase new batch of Su-30SM fighters (30 August 2020)Defence Minister David Tonoyan on a second batch.
- RFE/RL: Armenian PM denies contradictions in comments on Russian fighter jets (25 March 2021)Pashinyan: Su-30SMs delivered May 2020, missiles not bought before the war; opposition points to December 2019 photos.
- RBC: Pashinyan admits buying Su-30SM from Russia without missiles (21 March 2021, Russian)Pashinyan’s statement at Ohanavan.
- The Defense Post: Two pilots killed in Armenia Su-25 fighter jet crash (4 December 2018)Crash near Maralik after take-off from Gyumri; Lt. Col. Armen Babayan and Maj. Movses Manukyan killed.
- The Aviationist: Armenia releases images of Su-25 wreckage (30 September 2020)Armenian claim of a Turkish F-16 shoot-down over Vardenis; Turkish denial; evidence inconclusive.
- Oryx: The Fight For Nagorno-Karabakh: Documenting Losses on the Sides of Armenia and AzerbaijanPhoto-verified losses (minimums): Armenian Osa and Strela-10 systems destroyed.
- Oryx: Armenia’s last deterrent: the Buk-M1-2 (2 October 2021)One of six Buk launchers operational in 2020; the Su-30SMs never used in anger.
- Azatutyun (RFE/RL Armenian Service): Russia vows to boost Armenian air defense (15 February 2007)Joint air defence since April 1999; S-300 training since 2005.
- Airbus: Airbus and Armenia sign for six H145 helicopters (18 June 2026)Six H145 for transport missions; signed during President Macron’s state visit; operator not named.
- FlightGlobal: World Air Forces directory (issue cited by Wikipedia as World Air Forces 2026)Armenia: Su-30 4, Su-25 12 plus 2 trainers, Il-76 3, Mi-8/17/171 11, Mi-24 15, L-39 9, Mi-2 1; separate Nagorno-Karabakh entry.
- AIP Republic of Armenia, AD 2 UDYE Yerevan/Erebuni (ARMATS eAIP issue 02-26, effective 9 July 2026)Aerodrome reference point 40 07 19N 044 27 54E, elevation 2,955 ft, runway 03/21 2,813 x 45 m asphalt/concrete; military aerodrome, Erebuni military FIC gives take-off and landing clearances.
- AIP Republic of Armenia, AD 2 UDSG Gyumri/Shirak (ARMATS eAIP issue 02-26, effective 9 July 2026)Reference point 40 45 02N 043 51 34E, elevation 5,000 ft, runway 02/20 3,220 x 45 m asphalt/concrete; no military remarks.
- AIP Republic of Armenia, AD 2 UDYZ Yerevan/Zvartnots (ARMATS eAIP issue 02-26, effective 9 July 2026)Reference point 40 08 50N 044 23 45E, elevation 2,838 ft, runway 08/26 3,850 x 56 m asphalt/concrete.
- AIP Republic of Armenia, AD 1.3 Index to aerodromes and heliports (ARMATS eAIP issue 02-26)Only three aerodromes published: Zvartnots, Shirak and "YEREVAN / Erebuni (Military)", the last for non-scheduled and private flights only.
- OurAirports: Arzni Airport (UD21)Public database; coordinates 40.294102, 44.564602 and elevation 4,416 ft (1,346 m); UD21 is a database code, not an ICAO indicator.
- Kommersant Vlast: Vse rossiyskie bazy (All the Russian bases), issue 19, 21 May 2007 (Russian)102nd base formed 1 September 1994 from the 127th Motor Rifle Division; treaty of 16 March 1995; no rent; about 4,000 personnel; 3624th Air Base at Erebuni with 18 MiG-29s and the 700th aviation control centre.
- RIA Novosti: Armenia Says It’s Ready to Host Russian Combat Helicopters (21 November 2013)Russian state news agency. Deputy Defence Minister Ara Nazaryan: 18 helicopters, extra space for the Russian base at Erebuni; at least 16 MiG-29s there.
- RIA Novosti: Russia Forms Helicopter Squadron for Armenian Base (17 January 2014)Russian state news agency, quoting the Southern Military District press service: Mi-24P, Mi-8MT and Mi-8SMV for Erebuni, crews training at Rostov-on-Don, deployment through 2014; 16 MiG-29s at the base.
- Russia Beyond: Russia and Armenia to set up joint air defense system in the Caucasus (12 October 2016)Russian state-funded outlet. Putin sent the agreement to the Duma on 7 October 2016; five years, extendable by five; says the 102nd base has three MiG-29 squadrons; quotes Seyran Ohanyan.
- A1plus: Military helicopter accidentMi-24 of the Armenian Armed Forces crashed at Erebuni on 4 November at about 2 p.m. while preparing for a training flight; Captain Arshak Nersisyan killed. The article text as retrieved does not print the year; Wikipedia gives 2008.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: Acting Minister of Defence Vagharshak Harutyunyan visited Erebuni Airport (29 June 2021)Col. Gagik Aslanyan, head of the Aviation Department, and Col. Alexander Petrov, commander of the Russian military base, presented the aircraft; joint combat duty discussed.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: The RA Armed Forces replenished with new helicopters (25 January 2022)Acceptance at Erebuni Airport, attended by Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Artak Davtyan; type and number not stated.
- Ministry of Defence of Armenia: The graduation ceremony of the graduates of the Military Aviation University took place (5 June 2021)Names the Armenak Khanperyants (Khanferyants) Military Aviation University; no airfield named.
- Syunik Airport: official websiteOpened 1972, closed in the 1990s; aerodrome operation certificate from the Civil Aviation Committee on 19 November 2020.
- Public Radio of Armenia: Kapan airport will remain on the Armenian side (30 November 2020)Kapan community head Gevorg Parsyan on the Soviet-era border near the airport.
- Al Jazeera: Armenian PM rejects Russia’s demand for EU referendum as relations nosedive (1 June 2026)Russia recalled its ambassador; no mention of the bases.
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
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