YEREVAN, April 24 (AVN) - The Armenian air defence and the Russian 102nd military base are preparing for joint air defence combat duty in accordance with the plan, Lieutenant-General Mikhail Aratyunyan, Armenian chief-of-staff and first deputy defence minister, told the Military News Agency on Tuesday.
The Armenian party is seriously interested in joint combat duty together with Russian servicemen, Aratyunyan said. Russia might be no less interested in it, he added. "Armenia will feel reliable protection over its territory and Russia will strengthen its security in the south," Aratyunyan said.
The forces and means of the Armenian air defence, Russian 102nd military base and 426th aviation group stationed in Yerevan are enough to provide air defence to Armenia and generally defend the Armenian part of the CIS southern border, the deputy minister noted.
The joint air defence group comprises air defence units equipped with S-75 and S-125 systems, radar units and army aviation of the Armenian Armed Forces, Russia's 988th air defence missile regiment equipped with Cub air defence missile systems and S-300 systems, and 18 MIG-29 Fulcrum fighters. At the same time "if the situation aggravates in the region and the outer threat intensifies those means will be reinforced by aerospace components of the Russian air defence and deployment of additional forces and means of the Armenian Armed Forces," Aratyunyan stressed.
Accomplishment of joint duty is complicated by housing problems which servicemen of the 426th aviation group are suffering. According to aviation group commander Colonel Viktor Izotov, every second officer and enlisted man of the group lacks own permanent flat in Yerevan. The Armenian authorities "will completely provide the group's personnel with housing in the near future," Aratyunyan noted.