We Have New, Fully Armenian-Designed and Locally Produced Weapons – Papikyan

YEREVAN — Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan presented Armenia’s defense expenditures for the years 2018–2026, both in Armenian drams and U.S. dollars. Speaking on Public Television, he stated:

“Let’s look at the 2018 budget — 245 billion drams. To put that into perspective, that’s about 640 million dollars. In 2025, defense expenditures reached 667 billion drams, or approximately 1 billion 741 million 604 thousand dollars. In other words, military and defense spending has increased by 1.1 billion dollars. This is simply for the information of the critics.”

Papikyan added that the Armenian Armed Forces will soon have a new uniform — improved in quality, design, and standards.
“We already have a batch ready for delivery — the first set of field uniforms the company was contracted to provide so that the army can conduct field testing. The daily and ceremonial uniform samples have also been finalized, and we will complete that process soon. From private to general, yes, we are introducing changes. The standards are Western, but enriched with our national symbols and insignia,” he said.

The Minister also emphasized that Armenia has significantly advanced its domestic defense industry in recent years.
“We now have new, locally produced weapons — entirely designed and developed with Armenian thought and expertise. In 2022, we signed contracts worth approximately 5.5 billion drams with local defense industry companies. As a result of subsequent three-year contracts, that figure has risen to 170 billion drams,” Papikyan noted.