Alleged Malfunctions of Indian Arms in Armenia: Performance Concerns or Propaganda?

A recent report by Azerbaijani news outlet Caliber.Az raises questions about the effectiveness of Indian-supplied weaponry to Armenia. The report cites critical comments from former Armenian Defence Minister Arshak Karapetyan, raising the possibility of performance issues with Indian weapons.

However, the veracity of these claims and the motivations behind the report require careful scrutiny.

Understanding the Allegations​

Karapetyan, who served briefly as Armenia's Defense Minister in 2021, allegedly stated that some Indian-origin weapons have malfunctioned for the past year.

However, the report lacks specifics on the exact weapon systems in question. This lack of clarity introduces uncertainty and makes it difficult to independently verify the assertions.

Source Credibility and Motives​

Two crucial factors complicate the situation:

• Limited Tenure: Karapetyan's short tenure as Defense Minister raises questions about his potential level of in-depth knowledge regarding complex weapon systems.
• Source Considerations: Caliber.Az is an Azerbaijani outlet. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a longstanding conflict, marked by recent renewed tensions. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has previously criticized nations like India and France for supplying arms to Armenia. This context suggests that the Caliber.Az report may be driven by propaganda efforts rather than strictly objective reporting.

India-Armenia Defense Partnership​

India and Armenia have cultivated a growing defense partnership. Key items within this relationship include:

• Swathi Weapon Locating Radars (WLR): Armenia received four units in 2020.
• Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM): Armenia has placed an order, but deliveries are yet to commence.
• ATAGS Artillery Guns: Six units delivered, with more planned for later in 2024.
• MarG 155x39 Howitzer Guns: Deliveries began in 2023.

Analysis and Open Questions​

The situation prompts some critical questions:

• Performance vs. Isolated Issues: Could Karapetyan's remarks indicate isolated incidents rather than a systemic problem with Indian weaponry? Complex military equipment can experience occasional issues even in the best circumstances.
• Geopolitical Motivations: To what extent does Azerbaijan's conflict with Armenia drive the reporting of alleged weapon malfunctions? Is the goal to discredit Armenia's defense capabilities and its defense partners?
• Need for Independent Verification: Without specific details about the weapon systems and corroborating evidence, it remains impossible to independently evaluate the claims and determine their legitimacy.

Conclusion​

The Caliber.Az report and Karapetyan's comments create a murky picture. The motivations of both the source and the former official are colored by the ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

In the absence of further evidence and independent analysis, determining whether the allegations point to legitimate concerns or propaganda-driven narratives remains a challenge.

 

[Sandeep]

There were reports before that Swathi Weapon locating radars didn't perform well in Armenia-Azeri conflict. Regardless of the credibility of this news, it is imperative for us to:

• Meet the customers satisfaction so as to improve image of Made in India weapons.
• Consider any kind of feedbacks be it positive or negative as necessary ingredient to improve further.

Indian Weapon manufacturing sector has not matured yet. So, such issues will exist!

There’s nothing wrong with our weapons and quality as they wouldn’t place more orders for different type of weapons if they didn’t work properly as they should have. Also Armenia tests the weapons they get straight away to ensure there’s no problem with it and it works as it should. They examine every part of the weapon and technology to make sure they can operationally use and rely on it. So there’s nothing wrong with our military industry as they can manufacture good quality weapons that our military rely on as well.

Armenia only bought these weapons and equipment after the war so this is just propaganda being used against India by Azerbaijan to maintain that their military has the superiority despite the weapons we sold to them.

 

[Sandeep]

Regardless of whether or not this is propaganda, if the performance of one of our exported weapon systems has been below expectation, it is imperative for relevant stakeholders to meet with the Armenians, understand what the issue was, rectify it for them free of charge if it was an issue on our end, and ensure the same issue does not show up in the other weapon systems in our inventory.

We are relatively new to the arms export game, and while teething troubles are expected, we have to be very proactive in giving proper service to any and all customers.

There’s nothing wrong with our weapons and quality as they wouldn’t place more orders for different type of weapons if they didn’t work properly as they should have. Also Armenia tests the weapons they get straight away to ensure there’s no problem with it and it works as it should. They examine every part of the weapon and technology to make sure they can operationally use and rely on it. So there’s nothing wrong with our military industry as they can manufacture good quality weapons that our military rely on as well.

Armenia only bought these weapons and equipment after the war so this is just propaganda being used against India by Azerbaijan to maintain that their military has the superiority despite the weapons we sold to them

 

[Ms Batra]

Indian weapons were only ordered after the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan so get your facts right first before commenting.

Lol armenia just surrendered 4 villages yesterday.

 

[Sandeep]

Lol armenia just surrendered 4 villages yesterday.

I’m discussing how your information isn’t correct. Armenia only started to buy our military equipment after the war because they had to surrender. The issue had nothing to do with Armenia losing as that’s obvious to everyone. 😂

 

[Rajesh]

Just before delivering all these weapons they have gone to panic mode. There can also be weapons deals which will not be published. If the report said has any truth then there is a traitor with Armenia( don't think any nationalist will cry loud to ur enemy about ur weakness) & next is Azerbaijan should be happy with how we r happy with Pakistan having all faulty weapons rather cry daily like this.