Some time ago, in the comments to a publication on air defense issues, I entered into a discussion with one of the site's visitors, who, apparently, lives in Armenia. This respected resident of the friendly Transcaucasian republic took the liberty of claiming that everything related to the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system (offered for export, including to the NATO country) in general and the Russian air defense in particular, is the strictest state secret. And because of this, ordinary citizens can not know anything about the composition and characteristics of air defense systems, areas of permanent deployment of air defense units and places of deployment of anti-aircraft missile battalions in peacetime. Such a peremptory statement could be partially true during the existence of the Soviet Union. But in the era of reckless trade in our latest anti-aircraft systems, the ubiquity of modern information technologies and the absolute availability of commercial satellite images of sufficiently high resolution, reading this is simply ridiculous.
In addition, it should be understood that the Western "partners", into whose economy we, despite our belligerent rhetoric, are making multibillion-dollar injections, are closely following Russia's achievements in the field of air defense. On a monthly basis, Russian borders are monitored by radio-technical reconnaissance planes, recording the radiation of Russian radars, illumination and anti-aircraft missile guidance stations, and reconnaissance satellites ply space. Our "strategic partner" in the Far East does not lag behind NATO countries. Quite often, PLA Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, stuffed with special equipment, created on the basis of Tu-154 passenger airliners and Y-8 transport aircraft (An-12), fly along the Russian Far Eastern borders.
In contrast to Western countries, where information about the state of Russia's defense capability is regularly published in open expert reports, the "Chinese friends" are in no hurry to share their data. But there is no doubt that everything is carefully analyzed in the West and in the East and appropriate conclusions are drawn. However, in general, there is a lot of information in domestic and foreign open sources that makes it possible to get an idea of the state of the air defense system of a particular country. The publication of the intelligence information received by the Western media is largely due to the fact that the military departments of the NATO countries, frightening ordinary people with the "Russian threat", thus knock out additional funding. Based on the foregoing, today we, as an example especially for visitors to the Military Review, sincerely believe that in the modern world it is possible to hide the number, characteristics and locations of anti-aircraft systems, we will consider the state of the Armenian air defense system, relying solely on open public sources.
Historically, Armenia has close political, economic and cultural ties with Russia. It can be said with full confidence that after the collapse of the USSR, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia were largely preserved thanks to diplomatic and military support from the Russian Federation. Armenia still has unresolved territorial disputes with Azerbaijan, and diplomatic relations have not been established with Turkey. Being one of the first Christian countries, Armenia borders on Turkey in the west, Azerbaijan in the east, and Iran in the south. These Islamic countries are many times superior to Armenia in economic, industrial and military potential. At the same time, only on the Armenian-Iranian border the situation can be considered calm.
In the last years of the existence of the USSR, an ethnopolitical conflict began to flare up between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It had long-standing cultural, political and historical roots, and if during the years of "stagnation" nationalist actions were harshly suppressed, then after the beginning of "perestroika" the enmity between Armenians and Azerbaijanis took open forms.
In 1991-1994, the confrontation escalated into large-scale hostilities for control over Nagorno-Karabakh and some adjacent territories. During the battles, armored vehicles, artillery, MLRS and combat aircraft were actively used. The superiority of the Azerbaijani side in the air led to the fact that the Armenian armed formations began to actively build up their anti-aircraft potential. The source of weapons at the first stage of the war was the warehouses of the 366th motorized rifle regiment, stationed in Stepanakert. Initially, the militia had 23-mm anti-aircraft machine guns at their disposal, as well as 14, 5 and 12, 7-mm machine gun mounts. The greatest threat to aircraft and helicopters was posed by four ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" and MANPADS "Strela-2M". The Armenian anti-aircraft gunners achieved their first combat success on January 28, 1992, when an Azerbaijani Mi-8 was shot down from a MANPADS. By the fall of 1993, several anti-aircraft batteries of 57-mm S-60 guns with an RPK-1 "Vaza" radar gun targeting station and several dozen MANPADS had already been deployed on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
After the transfer of part of the property, military equipment and weapons to the 7th Army of the Transcaucasian Military District and the 96th anti-aircraft missile brigade of the 19th Air Defense Army, stationed in Armenia, there was a sharp increase in the combat potential of the air defense in the conflict zone. According to data published by the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), by mid-1994 Russia had transferred to the Armenian armed forces mobile medium-range air defense systems Krug-M1 and Kub, short-range mobile systems Strela-1, Strela- 10 "and" Osa-AKM ", MANPADS" Strela-2M "and" Igla-1 ", as well as ZSU-23-4" Shilka ", anti-aircraft artillery mounts ZU-23 and S-60. The object air defense was reinforced by several C-125M and C-75M3 anti-aircraft missile divisions. The control of the airspace of the republic and the issuance of target designation to air defense means was carried out by radars: P-12M, P-14, P-15, P-18, P-19, P-35, P-37, P-40 and radio altimeters: PRV-9, PRV-11, PRV-13, PRV-16.
After the Armenian formations received modern anti-aircraft weapons at that time, the combat aircraft of the Azerbaijani Air Force could no longer pirate with impunity in the skies of Nagorno-Karabakh, which immediately affected the course of hostilities. Mobile air defense systems were supplied through the Lachin corridor between Armenia and Artsakh.
Some sources write about the dispatch of a Krug-M1 air defense system battery from the 59th anti-aircraft missile brigade, stationed in the city of Artik during the Soviet era, to the combat zone. At the same time, open sources have photographs of the positions of the Kub anti-aircraft missile system deployed near Stepanakert.
There is no doubt that mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile systems and ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" were also transferred to Nagorno-Karabakh. On May 9, 1995, during a military parade in Stepanakert, in addition to armored vehicles and artillery systems, the Osa-AKM air defense system, the Krug self-propelled launcher and several transport-loading vehicles based on the ZIL-131 with missiles for the C-125M air defense system were demonstrated.
According to data published in Armenia, before the conclusion of the armistice in 1994, the Azerbaijani Air Force lost 20 combat aircraft, including: Su-25, Su-17, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, L-29 and L-39, as well as 18 Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters. Azerbaijan has confirmed the loss of 10 aircraft.
No reliable details about the use of medium-range air defense systems in Transcaucasia have been published in open sources, but it is known that on March 17, 1994, in the vicinity of Stepanakert, Armenian air defense forces mistakenly destroyed an Iranian military transport aircraft C-130, flying at an altitude inaccessible to small complexes. range. Iranian "Hercules" transported families of Iranian diplomats from Moscow to Tehran. As stated later in Armenia, Azerbaijani dispatchers deliberately sent a transport worker to the area of hostilities. As a result of the tragedy, 32 people died, including women and children.
Unfortunately, at the moment the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is far from over. Skirmishes and all sorts of provocations regularly take place on the contact line. Recently, Azerbaijan has been using unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance and strikes against the positions of the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh, which keeps the air defense units in suspense. So, on March 4, 2017, at about 12:15 pm local time, an Orbiter drone belonging to the Azerbaijani armed forces was shot down on the eastern section of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact.
Although the Armenian authorities categorically deny the official participation of the Armenian armed forces in the Karabakh conflict, it is clear that Nagorno-Karabakh could not independently confront Azerbaijan, which was actively supported by Turkey. The air defense units of the Defense Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have, though not new, but still quite effective mobile military air defense systems: Osa-AKM and Strela-10, as well as numerous Igla MANPADS. It is armed with several dozen anti-aircraft artillery and machine-gun installations.
Airspace control over Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories is carried out by P-18 and P-19 radars. A number of foreign sources have information that at least one modern 36D6 radar station is functioning on the territory of the Armenian autonomy. Notification of air targets and control of air defense units is carried out via a radio network and telephone lines.
It is not known whether the Krug-M1 and Kub air defense systems are currently in working order. These anti-aircraft systems, together with the low-altitude C-125M1 air defense system, are mentioned by The Military Balance 2017. On satellite images for 2016, in positions to the southwest and east of Stepanakert, one can observe the positions of the C-125M1, Krug-M1 and Cube air defense systems.
At the moment, the mobile military air defense systems on the tracked chassis "Circle" and "Cube", inherited by the independent republics after the collapse of the USSR, are practically everywhere removed from service due to the development of a resource. In the Russian armed forces, the last Krug-M1 was decommissioned in 2006. By that time, the complex, in the equipment of which a lamp element base was used, no longer met modern requirements for noise immunity. Rockets with ramjet engines powered by kerosene leaked due to cracking of soft rubber fuel tanks, and their operation was extremely dangerous in terms of fire.
In turn, the air defense missile system "Kub", the production of which was completed in 1983, has long expired the warranty period for the storage of anti-aircraft missiles. If fresh missiles were supplied to the allied countries of the USSR, then in the Soviet air defense units of the Ground Forces, the "Cube" complexes were planned to be completely replaced with more advanced "Buk-M1". Until the mid-80s, new Kvadrat air defense systems were exported, which were an export modification of the Cuba. At the same time, in the Soviet Army, in anticipation of replacement by complexes of a new generation, they finished off the resource available in the troops of the "Cube" air defense system.
On ZM9M anti-aircraft missiles with expired storage periods, in the event of a change in the density characteristics of solid rocket fuel, it is impossible to guarantee the regular operation of a ramjet engine. In addition, keeping the equipment of the decrepit complexes in working order requires heroic efforts of calculations. Practically throughout the entire post-Soviet space, the service of the Krug and Kub air defense systems has ended, and it is likely that the air defense systems operated in Nagorno-Karabakh are the last in the ranks.
There is no doubt that the Defense Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is actually part of the Armenian armed forces, and the defense of the Armenian enclave in the territory contested by Azerbaijan depends in everything on the decisions made in Yerevan. There is also no doubt that the air defense missile systems and surveillance radars deployed in this area are fully integrated with the air defense system of Armenia.
The formation of a centralized air defense system in Armenia began in the second half of the 90s. Initially, the main means of engaging air targets involved in combat duty were the S-75M3 medium-range air defense systems, the S-125M1 low-altitude air defense systems and the Krug-M1 military complexes. To control the air situation over the territory of the republic and the border airspace of neighboring states, the P-14, P-18, P-35 and P-37 radars, which previously belonged to the radio engineering units of the 19th Air Defense Army, were used. Since 1995, the Russian side has provided the preparation of calculations and the supply of spare parts. At the beginning of the 21st century, the S-75 medium-range air defense systems with liquid-propellant missiles, which are very difficult to operate, were gradually removed from combat duty and replaced by the S-300PT / PS mobile anti-aircraft missile systems. The last S-75 complex deployed south of Yerevan was sent "for storage" in 2010.
Also noteworthy is the fact that a significant number of mobile Krug-M1 air defense missile systems appeared in the Armenian air defense system, many times exceeding the number of combat vehicles originally included in the 59th air defense missile brigade. Apparently, at the end of the 90s, Armenia received additional anti-aircraft systems that were being removed from service in Russia. SAM "Krug-M1" were located in mountainous areas in the southeast of the country and in the vicinity of the settlement of Gavar, not far from Lake Sevan. The Krug-M1 mobile military complexes were on alert until approximately 2013. More modern anti-aircraft systems are now deployed in these positions.
The main air defense forces are concentrated in the vicinity of the Armenian capital. Yerevan is protected by four S-300PT anti-aircraft missile divisions. This first serial modification of the three hundred with towed launchers was put into service in 1978. Initially, the system's ammunition included only 5V55K radio command missiles with a range of up to 47 km of air targets. That is, in terms of range, the first version of the S-300PT was even inferior to the S-74M3 / M4 air defense system. In 1983, the 5V55R missile defense system with a semi-active seeker, which could hit targets at a distance of up to 75 km, was introduced into the upgraded S-300PT-1 system.
In the second half of the 80s, deliveries of 5V55RM missiles began with a range increased to 90 km. These missiles could be used as part of the S-300PT / PS air defense system. In terms of its fire characteristics, the S-300PS is similar to the upgraded S-300PT system, but all launchers are located on the MAZ-543 self-propelled chassis.
In addition to the S-300PT, the Armenian armed forces have two S-300PS missiles. These anti-aircraft battalions are deployed in a mountainous area in the vicinity of the villages of Goris and Kakhnut, not far from the border with Azerbaijan. Obviously, self-propelled launchers find it easier to climb mountains along narrow serpentines than missiles on towed trailers.
The range of destruction of anti-aircraft systems deployed in Armenia makes it possible to create an anti-aircraft umbrella over the corridor connecting with Armenia and prevent the attacks of Azerbaijani aviation on the defensive positions of the defense forces of the Republic of Artsakh. Satellite images clearly show that, unlike the S-300PT around Yerevan, the S-300PS divisions in the mountainous regions of the republic are on alert with a truncated composition - the number of launchers in a firing position is much less than the staffing table. However, most of the launchers of low-altitude air defense systems S-125 are also not fully equipped with missiles. Apparently, this is due to the lack of anti-aircraft missiles and an attempt to extend their service life.
As of 2016, 5 S-125 anti-aircraft battalions were on combat duty in Armenia. In the past, a number of media outlets said that Armenia is interested in modernizing its "hundred twenty fives" to the level of "Pechera-2M". But, apparently, the republic did not find free funds for this.
There are five permanent radar posts to cover the air situation on the territory of Armenia. In addition to issuing target designation to anti-aircraft missile divisions and targeting fighters, radars: P-18, P-37, 5N84A, 22Zh6M, 36D6 and radio altimeters PRV-16 and PRV-17 are used to control the flights of civil aircraft. According to foreign sources, the P-40 mobile stations for detecting air targets, which were previously part of the Krug air defense missile systems brigades, have not been decommissioned and are now being operated at stationary positions. Surveillance radars in Gyumri and at the Erebuni airbase are serviced by Russian specialists.
There is information about the deployment of the "Sky-SV" radar station near the city of Ashtarak. In the past, the positions of the C-125 and C-75 air defense systems were located next to the road towards the village of Karbi. Until now, on the territory of the military unit, in an abandoned position, missiles for the S-75 are stored. According to unconfirmed information, a 57U6 "Periscope-VM" radar system was installed on Mount Aragats, specially designed to detect targets flying in mountainous conditions at low altitude and in a difficult jamming environment. At the junction of the borders of Georgia and Azerbaijan, in the vicinity of the village of Verin Akhtala, radars 5N84A "Oborona-14" and 36D6 are deployed.
According to the statements of the high-ranking Armenian military, the data received from the radar stations located in the flat regions of the country are transmitted in real time to the automated control systems of the air defense troops. HF and VHF radio networks, as well as radio relay lines, are used as redundant communication channels. According to Western data, the central command post of the Armenian air defense system is located near the settlement of Hovtashat, 17 km west of Yerevan.
Assessing the state of the anti-aircraft missile and radio-technical troops of the armed forces of Armenia, it can be noted that a significant part of the radars deployed in the country are of new types. At the same time, the most modern Armenian air defense systems, the S300PT / PS, are close to the end of their life cycle. According to the data published by the manufacturer, the 5V55R / 5V55RM anti-aircraft missiles are currently far beyond the warranty period. In the past, representatives of the Almaz-Antey Aerospace Defense Concern voiced the information that the assigned resource of the newest S-300PS air defense systems ended in 2013. This will inevitably affect the level of technical reliability of anti-aircraft systems that are on alert. The problem of replenishing ammunition is very acute, since the production of 5V55R anti-aircraft missiles for the Russian air defense forces was discontinued at the end of the 90s. Even older are the low-altitude air defense systems S-125M1. Serial construction of "hundred and twenty-five" for the air defense forces of the USSR was completed in the early 80s. Of course, the low-altitude S-125 is a very successful and reliable enough complex with proper maintenance, but its resource is not unlimited.
It is possible to maintain the equipment of anti-aircraft complexes in working order due to the supply of spare parts from Russia and refurbishment carried out at local enterprises. Indirect evidence that Armenia intends to modernize the existing S-125 air defense systems is the demonstration in September 2016 of new transport-charging vehicles based on the three-axle all-wheel drive KamAZ.
One of the novelties in the air defense of Armenia is the Buk-M2 mobile medium-range air defense system. Several combat vehicles loaded onto wheeled transporters were also displayed at a military parade in 2016. The Armenian S-300PT / PS air defense systems, as well as the C-125M1 and Buk-M2 air defense systems, are included in the Air Force.
In addition to anti-aircraft missile systems that ensure the defense of strategically important facilities and the capital, the Armenian armed forces have a significant number of military air defense systems designed to counter aviation at low altitudes. According to The Military Balance 2017, the army anti-aircraft units are armed with 178 Osa-AK / AKM short-range air defense systems on a wheeled floating chassis, 48 Strela-10 on the MT-LB tracked base and the same number of ZSU-23-4 " Shilka ". In addition, 90 Igla and Igla-S MANPADS and up to 400 old Strela-2M and Strela-3 MANPADS are mentioned. Also in the troops and in "storage" there are several hundred 23 and 57-mm anti-aircraft guns and 14, 5-mm ZPU. Part of the ZU-23 is installed on off-road vehicles and lightly armored tracked conveyors.
It is difficult to say how reliable these data are, but in terms of the number of air defense systems of the "Wasp" family, most likely, they mean all the systems that were once delivered to Armenia. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that in the 30 years that have passed since the termination of the serial production of the Osa air defense system, a significant part of the systems has failed, and their real number in Armenia is much less. The same applies to the performance of MANPADS produced in the 70-80s.
It is no coincidence that an agreement was signed with Russia in 2016 to provide a tied loan of $ 200 million for the purchase of a large batch of modern weapons, including the Igla-S and Verba portable anti-aircraft systems. The decision to purchase MANPADS was made after another aggravation on the line of the Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation in Nagorno-Karabakh. During the hostilities, Azerbaijan used drones-kamikaze and fire support helicopters on a limited scale. During the clashes in April 2016, the NKR air defense managed to shoot down an Azerbaijani Mi-24 and several UAVs. In Stepanakert, they believe that this was a "reconnaissance battle" of the state of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army. It can be argued with a high degree of confidence that the Azerbaijani side refrained from the widespread use of combat aircraft, fearing serious losses.
Maintaining the proper level of combat readiness of the air defense forces of Armenia is achieved through Russian assistance and through the organization of repair and restoration of equipment and weapons at local enterprises. With the help of Russian specialists, the republic has established the restoration and "minor" modernization of the existing anti-aircraft systems and complexes.
An example of Russian-Armenian cooperation in this area is the installation, during refurbishment of the Osa-AKM air defense missile system, of a new system for digital processing of a radar signal using modern electronic and computer technologies.
At the moment, the Armenian Air Force does not have serviceable combat aircraft capable of intercepting air targets. Budgetary constraints do not allow purchasing and maintaining even a minimal fleet of fighters. The only interceptor formally listed in the Air Force is the former Azerbaijani MiG-25PD, hijacked to Armenia on January 14, 1993. But, judging by the satellite images, this plane has been "real estate" for more than 10 years. The captured MiG-25 interceptor, located at the Chirac airbase, is placed in the parking lot, where the faulty or worn out aircraft are stored.
At present, the inviolability of the republic's air borders is ensured by Russian MiG-29 fighters deployed at the Erebuni airbase near Yerevan. According to foreign sources, there are 18 single-seat and combat training MiG-29s at the 3624th aviation base.
Judging by satellite images, the group of MiG-29 fighters, stationed in Armenia at the end of 1998, was repeatedly replenished to maintain a constant number, in connection with the decommissioning of machines that had exhausted their resource.
Since the number of serviceable MiG-29s in the Russian Aerospace Forces is rapidly decreasing, it can be expected that in the near future heavy fighters Su-27SM or Su-30SM, more suitable for use as interceptors, will appear in Armenia.
In accordance with the Treaty on the Legal Status of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the Territory of Armenia dated August 21, 1992, and the Treaty on the Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia dated March 16, 1995, the 102nd Russian military base was created in the vicinity of the city of Gyumri. The agreement on the operation of the base was originally concluded for a period of 25 years, and in 2010 it was extended for another 49 years (until 2044), while the rent from Russia is not charged. It must be said that in the current situation Armenia is vitally interested in the presence of the Russian contingent on its territory. From the statement made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, it follows that aggression against Armenia will be viewed as an external threat to Russia.
The base was the 127th Motorized Rifle Division of the Transcaucasian Military District. The number of Russian servicemen at the base is within 4000 people. In 2006, the headquarters of the Group of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus (GRVZ), as well as part of the personnel and weapons previously stationed in Georgia, were transferred here from the territory of Georgia. As of 2006, the most long-range air defense system of the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus was the Krug-M1 air defense system. But at present, this outdated complex has been replaced by the S-300V air defense system on a tracked chassis. Two batteries from the 988th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment provide permanent anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense of the base in Gyumri.
The choice of the S-300V was motivated by the desire to protect the Russian base from possible missile strikes by operational-tactical missiles. This system, in comparison with the S-300P, has greater anti-missile capabilities. At the same time, the fire performance of the S-300V air defense system and the time to replenish ammunition are worse than those of the S-300P modifications, which are mainly designed to combat aerodynamic targets.
The reference data for 2015 states that, in addition to long-range air defense systems, direct protection of Russian motorized rifle and tank units from air strikes is provided by an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion, which includes 6 Strela-10 air defense systems and 6 ZSU ZSU-23- 4 "Shilka". In October 2016, during Vladimir Putin's visit to Armenia, the President visited the 102nd Russian military base. At the same time, in addition to the S-300V long-range system and the Strela-10 short-range air defense system, the newest Buk-M2 medium-range air defense system was demonstrated.
In December 2015, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Armenian counterpart Seyran Ohanyan signed an agreement on the formation of a "United Air Defense System" in the Caucasus. Within the framework of this agreement, it is envisaged that the Russian and Armenian air defense and airspace control systems will operate under a single leadership and exchange information in real time. As part of the agreement on the creation of a unified regional air defense system in the Caucasian region of the CSTO, Russia pledged to supply modern communications and automated control systems. It also provides for the free transfer of additional anti-aircraft systems, which should strengthen the air defense system of Armenia.
However, considering the balance of power in the region, it is worth noting that Azerbaijan and Turkey, with which relations are far from friendly to Armenia, have multiple military superiority and this imbalance cannot even correct the Russian military presence in the republic. If under the current conditions Azerbaijan is unlikely to decide on a military escalation, then anything can be expected from the unpredictable Turkish leadership.
In the next 5-7 years, in order to preserve the current combat potential of the Armenian air defense, it will be necessary to replace the S-300PT / PS air defense systems and outdated radars, which are already on the verge of developing an operational resource. Taking into account the fact that the financial situation of the republic does not allow large-scale purchases of modern weapons, it must be assumed that this burden will be shifted to the Russian taxpayer.
At the same time, since the mid-90s, there has been a heated discussion among different strata of the population of Armenia about the need for a foreign military contingent to stay in the country. Opposition Armenian politicians voiced the opinion that it would be better to seek security guarantees from NATO. However, it should be understood that the relationship with Turkey, which is a regional military superpower, is much more important for the United States. Refusal to provide the territory of Armenia for the deployment of a Russian military base, of course, will be a nuisance for Russia, but for Armenia it may turn into a national catastrophe. The Russian military, of course, will not interfere in the conflict on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but there is no doubt that they will fight on the side of Yerevan in the event of an attack by Azerbaijan or Turkey on Armenia itself. At present, the deployment of the Russian military contingent in Armenia is a stabilizing factor in the region. Moscow provides Yerevan with an "anti-aircraft umbrella", which it has no reason to refuse. Russia is not going to encroach on the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, no one questions its independence, but ensuring its own security relying on internal forces is inextricably linked with the need to expand and deepen the military alliance with Russia.
