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ARMENIA REPORTEDLY BUYS CHINESE ROCKETS
EurasiaNet.org
Aug 20 2013
August 20, 2013 - 1:46pm, by Joshua Kucera
Armenia has reportedly bought long-range rockets from China, in what
would be both an escalation of the rocket race between Armenia and
Azerbaijan and a dramatic entry of China into the regional conflicts
of the South Caucasus. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported:
Armenia has acquired Chinese multiple-launch rocket systems with a
firing range of up to 130 kilometers, a military source in Yerevan
told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Monday.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source declined to specify
the quantity of the AR1A systems obtained the Armenian military and
the dates of their delivery or give other details of the alleged
acquisition.
The Ministry of Defense declined to confirm or deny the report,
but that's not unusual for Armenia's secretive MoD So assuming the
report is true, how should we interpret it?
In an analysis for Regnum.ru, David Arutyunov puts it in the context
of Azerbaijan's recent purchase of Russian Smerch multiple-rocket
launch systems, of which the Chinese AR1A are an upgraded version (for
example, the Chinese rockets have a range of 130 kilometers, versus 90
kilometers for the Smerch). "A tendency is noticeable over the last
decade in which Azerbaijan and Armenia are giving priority in their
strategy of arms development to MRLS of great distance and caliber,"
he writes. And those systems, he notes, would be useful for attacking
not just military formations but also strategic economic sites.
Azerbaijan's press seems to have largely ignored the news, but one
military expert quoted by Day.az didn't try to hide his contempt:
"They bought MRLSs from China? For God's sake. Let them buy as many as
they want." Thus responded Azerbaijani military expert Uzeir Djafarov
to this news...
"Armenia isn't doing anything now. They are looking for justifications
of their occupation policy, blaming Baku for all sins. I think we
shouldn't pay any attention to this, and think more about the military
readiness of our own army..."
The Chinese angle is especially interesting. Armenia, not having a big
defense budget, normally gets its equipment from Russia at a discount.
So did it buy these from China? Or was this part of some sort of
deal involving Russia?An analysis on lragir.am gives an unlikely
geopolitical explanation: "China has its own "Turkish" problem, in
the context of which Armenia's international role in the containment
of Turkish expansion corresponds to China's global interests."
This would, I believe, be the first major purchase of Chinese military
hardware by any former Soviet country. (Though Armenia did also
reportedly buy some of an earlier version of the AR1A, the WM-80 ,
in the late 1990s.) Just a couple of months ago, China's ambassador to
Baku promised that "China didn't sell arms to Armenia, is not selling
and will not sell." Expect him to face more questions like this soon.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67414
EurasiaNet.org
Aug 20 2013
August 20, 2013 - 1:46pm, by Joshua Kucera
Armenia has reportedly bought long-range rockets from China, in what
would be both an escalation of the rocket race between Armenia and
Azerbaijan and a dramatic entry of China into the regional conflicts
of the South Caucasus. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported:
Armenia has acquired Chinese multiple-launch rocket systems with a
firing range of up to 130 kilometers, a military source in Yerevan
told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Monday.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source declined to specify
the quantity of the AR1A systems obtained the Armenian military and
the dates of their delivery or give other details of the alleged
acquisition.
The Ministry of Defense declined to confirm or deny the report,
but that's not unusual for Armenia's secretive MoD So assuming the
report is true, how should we interpret it?
In an analysis for Regnum.ru, David Arutyunov puts it in the context
of Azerbaijan's recent purchase of Russian Smerch multiple-rocket
launch systems, of which the Chinese AR1A are an upgraded version (for
example, the Chinese rockets have a range of 130 kilometers, versus 90
kilometers for the Smerch). "A tendency is noticeable over the last
decade in which Azerbaijan and Armenia are giving priority in their
strategy of arms development to MRLS of great distance and caliber,"
he writes. And those systems, he notes, would be useful for attacking
not just military formations but also strategic economic sites.
Azerbaijan's press seems to have largely ignored the news, but one
military expert quoted by Day.az didn't try to hide his contempt:
"They bought MRLSs from China? For God's sake. Let them buy as many as
they want." Thus responded Azerbaijani military expert Uzeir Djafarov
to this news...
"Armenia isn't doing anything now. They are looking for justifications
of their occupation policy, blaming Baku for all sins. I think we
shouldn't pay any attention to this, and think more about the military
readiness of our own army..."
The Chinese angle is especially interesting. Armenia, not having a big
defense budget, normally gets its equipment from Russia at a discount.
So did it buy these from China? Or was this part of some sort of
deal involving Russia?An analysis on lragir.am gives an unlikely
geopolitical explanation: "China has its own "Turkish" problem, in
the context of which Armenia's international role in the containment
of Turkish expansion corresponds to China's global interests."
This would, I believe, be the first major purchase of Chinese military
hardware by any former Soviet country. (Though Armenia did also
reportedly buy some of an earlier version of the AR1A, the WM-80 ,
in the late 1990s.) Just a couple of months ago, China's ambassador to
Baku promised that "China didn't sell arms to Armenia, is not selling
and will not sell." Expect him to face more questions like this soon.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67414