The contract signed by Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan in Paris is considered a new stage in the development of the country’s air force and air defense troops. Observers note that this document may enable the Armenian Armed Forces to modernise their weaker areas in a short period of time with the support of foreign experts and address existing problems.
Issues discussed in Paris
On March 27, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, who was on an official visit to France, met in Paris with Alexandre Ziegler, head of defense activities at the French company Safran Electronics & Defense. At the end of the meeting, during which the current state and prospects of Armenia’s cooperation with France in the defense sector were discussed, an agreement was signed.
Experts believe that this agreement is one of the most critical stages of the military partnership Armenia has built with France in recent years and indicates that cooperation has moved to a new military-technical level.
Armenia does not intend to limit itself to cooperation with only one military company. Thus, on March 26, Suren Papikyan also met with representatives of French defense companies at the Movement of International French Enterprises. During the meeting, opportunities for cooperation between the Armenian Defense Ministry and French military-industrial enterprises were discussed.
On the same day, Papikyan met with Army General Vincent Giraud, Military Advisor to the President of France and Chief of the Special Military Staff. The parties discussed Armenia-France defense cooperation and international security issues.
The Minister also met with French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin. The meeting highly praised the existing cooperation and discussed the development of programs in military-technical cooperation, military education, professional training, advisory support, and other areas. At the same time, agreement was reached to deepen and expand cooperation, raise it to a qualitatively new and higher level, and continue joint initiatives aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the defense sector.
Later, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu received Papikyan. The Armenian minister informed Lecornu about the implementation of previous agreements and thanked the French government for the attention paid to bilateral cooperation. Discussing the development and deepening of Armenia-France defense cooperation, the parties stressed the importance of further strengthening the strategic partnership and expanding defense cooperation.
As part of the visit, Papikyan was awarded the Legion of Honor (Légion d’honneur) by decree of French President Emmanuel Macron. According to analysts, this step indicates that military-political relations between the two countries have risen to a strategic level.
Safran company and prospects for cooperation with Armenia
Safran Electronics & Defense is a French high-tech defense company operating in the aerospace, defense, and space sectors. Part of the Safran Group, the company is one of the leading manufacturers of space and astronomical optics, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and inertial navigation systems. The company employs more than 19,000 people and reportedly generated revenue of 31.3 billion euros in 2025.
In early 2024, media reports indicated that Safran Group intended to begin joint production of weapons and components with Armenia. Official reports also noted that joint projects in the defense industry were being discussed between France and Armenia. These projects are related not only to the purchase of finished products, but also to technological cooperation.
However, there is still no official information about the launch of a Safran production facility in Armenia. It appears that the cooperation is currently more focused on technology transfer and the assembly of components.
Specialists believe that, given Safran’s areas of activity, cooperation may mainly focus on optronics (sensor technologies, night-vision and thermal devices) and navigation systems. At the same time, tactical UAV systems of the Patroller type intended for reconnaissance missions are also likely to be in focus.
If Armenia can obtain a number of necessary components from France for the production of its own domestic UAVs, it is possible that the operational and reconnaissance quality of these devices could be brought into line with NATO standards, and this would naturally be of interest to Azerbaijan.
Thus, cooperation with Safran may lead to a fundamental change in the quality of the Armenian army in both UAV systems and navigation technologies. In terms of the modernisation of navigation systems, cooperation with Safran creates opportunities for longer-range target detection, precise strikes despite GPS interference, and a transition to a unified digital control system.
The military equipment and components that Armenia is expected to acquire under the contract signed with Safran are expected to be put into operation within the next two years. During this period, Armenian military personnel are likely to undergo training in both France and Armenia in order to operate this equipment and use these components.
Thus, the final assessment of Suren Papikyan’s visit can be summed up as follows:
- It is likely that the cooperation agreement signed in Paris, unlike previous documents, covers more detailed issues, such as high-precision optronics, navigation systems, and reconnaissance equipment;
- This visit will accelerate the acquisition of advanced military technologies from France in order to strengthen Armenia’s defense capabilities;
- Direct and long-term cooperation is taking shape between the Armenian Ministry of Defense and French military-industrial enterprises.
Although Abzas Media sent an inquiry to Safran requesting details of the agreement, no response had been received by the time the article was published.
Armenia’s foreign military cooperation strategy
Research indicates that Armenia’s current political leadership is determined to make serious changes to its foreign military-political cooperation strategy after the 2020 war and is pursuing a policy of diversification.
In this context, Yerevan has gradually begun to distance itself from its traditional security partner, Russia, and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). The main signs of this process emerged in 2021-2023 through official and unofficial statements. Armenia expressed dissatisfaction with traditional security guarantees and complained that Russia and the CSTO did not intervene militarily during recent clashes. Following this, Yerevan took active strategic steps to reduce its military dependence on Russia.
At the next stage, Armenia began looking for new strategic partners. Here, the countries in focus were assigned different roles: Armenia planned to purchase weapons and military equipment from some countries, while others were expected to provide training and doctrinal support for army-building. In this context, Armenia began military cooperation with three countries: India (weapons and military equipment cooperation), the United States (training support), and France (weapons, military equipment, and military training support).
In addition, Armenia also cooperates with Greece, Cyprus, Poland, and other NATO/EU countries. The deployment and expansion of the European Union’s civilian observation mission in Armenia is also part of this strategy.
On March 13, during Suren Papikyan’s meeting in Brussels with Sean Clancy, Chairman of the EU Military Committee, the sides discussed military education, training, participation in missions within the framework of security and defense cooperation between the EU and the Republic of Armenia, as well as other issues of mutual interest.
Overall, the main goal of this policy is to bring the army into line with Western and modern standards and to balance traditional military-political pressure from Russia. In this process, one of Armenia’s main goals is to eliminate the weaknesses identified during the 2020 war.
Prospects for the development of the military industry
One of Armenia’s main strategic goals is the development of its domestic military industry. Yerevan considers cooperation with foreign companies, including major French defense manufacturers, a priority in this direction.
To this end, the Armenian government has decided to continue its policy of three-year contracts aimed at developing the military industry, and more than 150 billion drams (about 347 million euros) have been allocated for 2026-2028.
At the end of last year, Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said that the Armenian Ministry of Defense was already negotiating new three-year contracts with 30 companies. The minister noted that the first three-year program for the development of the military industry for 2023-2025, under which contracts worth more than 171 billion drams were signed with 28 companies, is considered a key stage in the development of the military-industrial complex.
Research shows that cooperation with defense industry giants such as Safran occupies a special place in the policy of three-year contracts and serves as a key platform for technology transfer.
It is also known that Armenia is implementing new army reforms and needs support in this process, especially in modernization efforts and professional training. The 2026 Defense Cooperation Plan signed with France is of particular importance for Armenia in this regard.
For example, the 2026 Defense Cooperation Plan signed with France, which is reported to include dozens of activities across all areas, gives Armenia an opportunity to benefit specifically from French support in the process of defense reform. This plan includes the modernization of the Armenian army, professional training, the establishment of new command-and-control systems, and other goals.
There is also an Armenia-France Bilateral Strategic Defense Consultation format aimed at advancing military cooperation. The last meeting within this format was held in Paris on December 15-16 last year, and the parties emphasized the importance of giving bilateral cooperation strategic content and an institutional character. It was decided that the next strategic defense consultations would be held in Yerevan.
Is the military balance in the region being disrupted?
Observations show that the modernization of the Armenian army and its increasing integration with the West may contribute to a gradual change in the military balance in the region that has been taking shape since 2020.
Having drawn lessons from the outcome of the 2020 war, Armenia is paying particular attention to air defense and UAV technologies. In this context, one of official Yerevan’s main goals is to acquire modern UAVs and systems to control or neutralise them. Experts believe that Safran’s optical systems could allow the Armenian military to monitor Azerbaijan’s military movements from a greater distance.
It is believed that the Armenian Armed Forces’ targeting and tracking capabilities will improve with the new navigation systems expected to be purchased from France. Although the weapons and military equipment purchased from France are officially intended for defensive purposes, experts believe that in practice they can strengthen Armenia’s military positions, especially by making its border positions harder to breach.
Thus, in the face of the military superiority that has been formed in the region for many years through cooperation between Israel, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, Armenia-France cooperation, along with India, is emerging as an alternative system.
Although this system does not yet pose a serious threat, experts believe that in about five years the Armenian army could transform from a “blind and slow” army into one that can see and respond quickly. This would mean a significant change in the military balance in the region.
Author: Jasur Mammadov
