More than 10 Companies Engaged in UAV Production in Armenia, Says Minister

In Armenia, more than 10 companies are involved in the production of UAVs, and there is a focus on ensuring that the country has serial or mass production of drones.

"We do not have serial or mass production, but those that are working in this field are actually achieving successes. I won’t go into more detail," said Vahagn Khachatryan, Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry, in an interview with Aysor.am.

He mentioned that they are in joint cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, and this issue is a priority on their agenda. "The fact that we do not have serial or mass production is something I have placed on my agenda as a minister. We will try to find ways in which we can be helpful, because the demand is very high," the minister noted.

Regarding the criminal case opened concerning arms supply contracts under investigation by the NSS, Khachatryan stated that the ongoing criminal case pertains to everyone involved. "I am very sorry that such an incident has occurred. The relevant authorities are addressing it, but from our side, the demand from the Ministry of Defense is very strict, even more than what might be reasonable. However, there is no other way to approach this. We prefer to receive products from local production, and we want to create an environment to start producing local products. It is very difficult, but we must do it," he added.

When asked whether Armenia could rely on its own capabilities for UAVs in the event of another war, Khachatryan replied that giving such an evaluation at this time is not definitively correct, but that is the goal. "We are working in that direction, along with the Ministry of Defense and the government. The challenge we face is directed at achieving that goal, and we are monitoring the situation daily to understand the existing issues and resolve them. The desire is precisely that—God forbid, if war breaks out, we should rely on ourselves. We have this internal potential, especially in terms of intellectual resources, but we need to establish the implementation mechanisms to meet all requirements and know that this issue is solvable. I must emphasize that currently more than 10 companies are engaged in UAV production,” the Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia stated.