Iran Surpasses Turkey in Drone Production: Can Armenia Acquire Them?

The Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved such success in the field of drone production that it now has the capability to conduct separate, large-scale military exercises. This was stated by Iranian studies expert and lecturer at Yerevan State University, Aharon Vardanyan, during an interview with Factinfo. He noted that the exercises mainly take place in the northern, northwestern, and central parts of the country, with those in the northern and northwestern regions directed against the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In this regard, the Republic of Azerbaijan's concerns are natural, especially since a year and a half ago, we witnessed significant military exercises near the borders with Azerbaijan, leading many to predict an imminent war.

According to him, until recently, Turkey was the only country known for drone production. However, time and experience have shown that Turkish Bayraktar drones are overhyped and not among the best. Thus, Iran has outpaced Turkey in drone production, to the extent that Russia is now interested in purchasing drones from Iran. In this context, Azerbaijan's concerns also indicate Turkey's worries.

Addressing the possibility of Armenia acquiring drones, the speaker mentioned, "Armenia can also purchase Iranian drones. However, it is unfortunate that the full potential of Armenian-Iranian friendship has never been utilized to its utmost capacity." He noted that Armenia could initiate a tripartite alliance against terrorism with Iran and Russia, considering that by conceding the Caucasus, Iran and Russia might find themselves caught in the jaws of pan-Turkism and become targets of terrorism. Therefore, our interests align here.