TSAMTO, June 1. During the aerial part of the parade in Yerevan on May 28, Su-30SM fighters of the Armenian Air Force publicly demonstrated for the first time the suspension of Iranian gliding UAB, identified as Iranian-made Yasin.
As noted by Defense Security Asia, the fact of the use of Iranian aircraft munitions on Russian platforms was recorded for the first time. The Su-30SM fighters entered service with the Armenian Air Force in 2020 under a contract signed in January 2019 between Yerevan and Moscow. Under the terms of the deal, Armenia purchased four aircraft of this type at domestic prices using a Russian loan in the amount of $ 100 million. Initially, the aircraft were received without a set of air-to-air and air-to-surface aviation weapons, since Russian legislation limited the export of missiles with a range of more than 130 km, and the purchase of aviation weapons under the contract was not provided for. During the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, the Su-30SM aircraft of the Armenian Air Force did not carry out high-precision combat missions due to the lack of guided weapons, which was subsequently confirmed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The Yasin gliding aerial bomb was developed by the Iranian Aviation Industry Organization. The munition belongs to the class of high-precision guided gliding bombs with a folding wing and weighing about 300 kg, equipped with a warhead weighing 225 kg (class 500 pounds, corresponds to the American equivalent Mk-82). The guidance system is combined: satellite (GPS/GLONASS) and inertial (INS). The stated circular probable deviation (CVO) is from 10 to 50 m. The range of use for high–altitude launch reaches 120 km, with a typical profile of 50-60 km, which allows the carrier to operate outside the affected areas of short- and medium-range air defense systems. The ammunition can be used at any time of the day in difficult meteorological conditions.
Yasin integration on the Su-30SM assumes compatibility with the aircraft's on-board weapons control system. The presence of folding bearing surfaces ensures aerodynamic efficiency on the glide path to the target. A distinctive feature of the design, recorded on the photographs of the parade, are the characteristic folding wings of Yasin. The installation of ammunition on standard Su-30SM suspension units is documented by video recordings from the parade.
The demonstration of weapons fits into Armenia's consistent implementation of a policy of diversifying military-technical cooperation. After the end of the Karabakh war in 2020, Yerevan purposefully expands the range of suppliers of military equipment. In particular, in 2024-2026, negotiations were recorded on the purchase of Indian Astra BVR air-to-air missiles for the same Su-30SM aircraft. At the parade on May 28, 2026, in addition to Iranian ammunition, samples of Indian, French and Armenian-made weapons were on display, which indicates the implementation of a multi-vector strategy in the field of military-technical cooperation.
In February 2026, Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian confirmed Tehran's readiness to finalize the document on comprehensive strategic partnership with Armenia. During the talks between Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and the Iranian leadership, the parties recorded the results of the defense cooperation as satisfactory. According to reports, the total volume of the Armenian-Iranian military-technical cooperation agreements is estimated at about $500 million and covers the supply of ammunition and short-range air defense systems (AD-08 Majid short-range air defense systems were demonstrated during the parade).
