The Second Karabakh War of 2020 exposed Armenia’s serious weakness in the field of drone technologies. At that time, Yerevan had only a few basic reconnaissance UAVs and virtually no strike or loitering drones, while Azerbaijan had been developing its drone capabilities for many years through the purchase of advanced equipment, primarily from Israel and Turkey. This was reported by Tasnim.

The experience of the 2020 war showed that Armenia lacked not only an effective fleet of drones, but also effective systems to counter this threat. This defeat marked the beginning of a large-scale revision of Yerevan’s defense policy.

Now, almost six years later, at the military parade on May 28, 2026, Armenia presented a whole range of domestically produced drones and new systems. This equipment was developed by several local private companies with state financial support and indicates notable growth in the country’s defense industry.

In 2023–2025, the Armenian government signed contracts with domestic defense enterprises worth about $450 million, a significant portion of which was allocated to drone development. In addition, “drone forces” were created within the country’s army structure as an independent branch.

At the recent parade, various types of reconnaissance, strike, loitering, and interceptor UAVs were presented — systems designed to enhance reconnaissance capabilities, carry out precision strikes, and counter enemy drones.

Alongside the development of its own production, Armenia also put the procurement of foreign drones on the agenda. During the parade, strike and loitering UAVs of Chinese origin were demonstrated for the first time. In addition, it became known that Yerevan had purchased V-BAT vertical takeoff drones from the United States.

Analysts believe that the combination of these steps shows that Armenia is implementing a large-scale program to overcome its lag in drone technologies and create a new deterrent potential in the Caucasus. However, the practical effectiveness of these systems can only be assessed under real battlefield conditions.