India and Armenia are once again in the news for their growing military-technical collaboration. Following the first delivery that started last November, the second batch of Akash-1S surface-to-air missile systems is anticipated to arrive in Yerevan this July, according to Indian Aerospace Defence News (IADN). Fifteen units of the updated Indian air defense system are part of the entire package, which is allegedly valued at $720 million.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India created the Akash-1S, a modernized variant of the original Akash system. With a 30-kilometer range, an 18-kilometer altitude capability, and the capacity to track 64 targets while attacking 12 at once, it is intended to defend vital infrastructure and military installations against aerial threats. The system, which is equipped with active radar homing technology, is intended to strengthen Armenia’s air defense capabilities.
However, the realities of the battlefield have repeatedly demonstrated that operational efficacy does not always correspond with theoretical performance. The main purpose of the Akash-1S’s development was to combat legacy threats, such as cruise missiles and manned aircraft. However, UAVs, kamikaze drones, and electronic warfare weapons are becoming more and more important in modern combat. For older systems like the Akash-1S, which have difficulty detecting and eliminating highly nimble and low-visibility targets in actual combat situations, these changing threats pose significant hurdles.
Though during the recent escalation between India and Pakistan, The legacy Akash system has proven its mettle , where the primary warfare was comprised of unmanned drones, UAVS and Kamakaze drones. The system was effective in bringing down all threats, precisely and effectively.
What effects will this acquisition have on the South Caucasus, particularly with regard to Azerbaijan? Could this affect current peace talks or change the military balance?
Retired Brigadier General Yücel Karauz, Türkiye’s former Military Attaché in Azerbaijan, said Azernews that although the Akash system is defensive in theory, its acquisition sends a negative message amid delicate peace negotiations:
Naturally, the AKASH System is a defense system. The goal of air defense is to safeguard the airspace. It isn’t an offensive weapon system, after all.Its coverage spans up to 2000 kilometers. As a result, having this weapon system gives Armenia the capacity to defend its own nation against potential attacks on its borders. Its air defense is strengthened.
It offers the capability to test and eliminate police units, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and SIHAs that will be imported from other nations. Therefore, in terms of protecting its nation, it improves and reinforces the military balance in a defensive rather than an attacking sense.
Karauz added that although these systems might temporarily strengthen Armenia’s defenses, they won’t provide the country a clear edge in future conflicts:
“Armenia will have an advantage in air and ground warfare, which are the wars of the future, if it acquires this system. Naturally, however, no weapon system in existence has an unbreakable effect.
There will undoubtedly be an anti-weapon or a new position and weapon that will make it effective, regardless of the weapon system you get.”
With India focusing to increase its export in indigenous weapons system and with the recent complete victory over Pakistan. Indian air defence systems are somewhat of a hot cake in the world of MIC. Armenia’s recent order of AKash-1S is a reflection of that exactly.
