May 28 Parade: What’s New in Armenia’s Arsenal

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The article was updated on June 10.

Armenia held its first military parade in a decade on May 28, showcasing newly acquired military equipment in Yerevan’s Republic Square. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had announced the event back in March, describing it as “less of a military parade and more of a report to the citizens of Armenia.” He argued that labeling it a military parade “could create the impression of deviating from, or even abandoning, the peace agenda.”

May 28 is Republic Day, marking the anniversary of the proclamation of Armenia’s First Republic in 1918. Armenia has previously held military parades exclusively on September 21, which commemorates the independence of Armenia’s current (third) Republic in 1991. The last parade was held in 2016, to mark 25 years of independence.

This parade comes ten days before the June 7 parliamentary election, prompting critics to dismiss it as a pre-election propaganda stunt. Pashinyan’s chief rival, Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan questioned the purpose of holding a military parade under a government that has lost three wars.

Pashinyan himself has suggested that he has “a new army to show” the Armenian people. He urged citizens to attend and see the military arsenal for themselves, insisting that Armenia now has “an army of a new quality, a new level, and a new logic.” He has gone as far as to say that his government has “built an army from scratch.”

Regardless of the political context, the parade provided an opportunity to assess how Armenia’s military modernization efforts, particularly since 2022, are translating into actual capabilities and equipment.

The Pashinyan administration has made diversifying Armenia’s foreign policy and security partnerships away from Russia a central strategic objective. Two years ago, Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan suggested that Russia’s share in Armenia’s weapons acquisitions had fallen from roughly 96% to less than 10% since January 2021. India and France have emerged as the key suppliers. An APRI estimate put acquisitions from India in 2022–2023 alone at $1.5 billion, while acquisitions from France were reported by that country’s Defense Ministry at €278.5 million in 2023–2024. Pashinyan, on the eve of the parade, said Armenia now purchases weapons from “six or seven countries.” 

At the same time, Armenia has also sought to expand its domestic defense industry. According to official figures, some 171 billion drams ($450 million) was invested in local defense and military companies between 2023 and 2025.

What’s New

In the weeks leading up to May 28, some of the previously undisclosed military equipment began surfacing publicly.

In a short video posted on social media by Pashinyan on May 11, two French-made CAESAR self-propelled howitzers were seen driving across an airfield. This was the first visual evidence of the systems having arrived in Armenia. Yerevan officially signed the acquisition agreement in June 2024 during Defense Minister Suren Papikyan’s visit to Paris. French sources indicated that Armenia had purchased 36 units with deliveries expected in 15 months. During the parade, the CAESAR systems were presented under the name Aramazd, after the supreme deity of pre-Christian Armenian mythology.

The Ground Master (GM) 200 radar, a French system acquired in 2023, was showcased under the name Vahan 200.

On May 25, a few days before the parade, a Chinese CH-4 drone was spotted at Yerevan’s Republic Square. Three units were showcased under the name Agegh (Bow). Its specifications announced during the parade make it clear that it is the CH-4B variant, a mixed attack and reconnaissance system.

Another system, a fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile presented by the name Nizak (Javelin) is likely the Chinese GAM-102LR. Armenia has previously acquired Chinese equipment in 1999 and possibly 2011. 

On May 26, photos of what appeared to be an Iranian AD-08 Majid short-range and low-altitude air defense system appeared online. No known Iranian arms purchases were previously reported despite speculation. The Majid was presented by the name Karitch (Scorpion) during the parade.

In a video released by the Defense Ministry on May 20, an M2 Browning heavy machine gun was seen for the first time in Armenia mounted on a French Bastion armored personnel carrier. Armenia’s ambassador to Belgium Tigran Balayan later reported that these guns were produced in Belgium. The Bastion APC were the first French systems to be supplied in late 2023.

Some of the Indian equipment was shown publicly for the first time this February, during the high-level visit of India’s Chief of Defense Staff Anil Chauhan. Since 2022, Indian media has widely reported on Armenian purchases, which include artillery pieces (howitzers, multiple rocket launchers), air defense and counterdrone systems, and radars.

Indian systems were presented by Armenian names. The Akash air defense system as Lusan (Lynx); the Pinaka multiple rocket launcher as Shant (Lightning); the Swathi radars are Paylatsu (Mercury); the towed howitzers Trajan and ATAGS as Tork and Tir (both pagan deities); the self-propelled howitzer MArG as Mihr (also a pre-Christian deity).

The parade also featured modern Russian systems, including TOS-1A Solntsepyok multiple rocket launchers; Tor M2KM short-range air defense systems; Kornet-M anti-tank missiles; and new D-30 towed howitzers. The last are in factory condition, a point Pashinyan has emphasized, adding that they were supplied in 2023. One radar system presented under the name Marakhugh (Fog) may be another Russian equipment, likely Kasta 2E.

Flying over the parade at its closure were Armenian air force’s Mil Mi-17 helicopters, Su-30 fighter jets and Su-25 aircraft. The Su-30s, procured in 2019 but absent from the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), were announced to now be equipped with short- and medium-range air-to-air radar-guided missiles, as well as long- and medium-range glide bombs.

Both Armenian and Russian sources additionally identified the Iranian glide bomb Yasin among the Su-30’s visible armaments.

The DDS-3 (Dragonfly 3) loitering munition first shown in February, was again shown in a short video posted by Pashinyan on May 11, and showcased at the parade.

Overall, UAVs took up a significant portion of the parade. A wide range of systems were showcased, many for the first time. These included reconnaissance drones, combat/attack drones, and anti-radar loitering munitions.

According to Aram Jivanyan, head of Armenia’s Military-Industrial Committee, additional indigenous products will be showcased at the RISE expo in Yerevan on June 3-4.

Absent from the parade were tanks and two notable Russian systems previously considered among the most advanced in Armenia’s armed forces: the Iskander short-range ballistic missile and S-300 air defense systems. Also missing from the public eye was the first and so far the only known U.S. arms supply, the V-BAT reconnaissance drones, the sale of which was announced during Vice President JD Vance’s visit in February.

In an interview after the parade, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan was asked why foreign systems were given Armenian names. He explained that it was originally done for procurement secrecy and remains in place as the MoD’s provisional designation. While some observers suggested that the Armenian naming may mislead the public to believe that they are indigenous equipment, Papikyan dismissed the concern, noting that Armenian systems were announced as such during the parade.

Photos by Hovhannes Nazaretyan.

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