The Artsakh Armed Forces on Monday began large-scale military exercises that will last until Thursday. The Artsakh defense ministry reported that the drills were part of the Armed Forces 2019 training plan, and are aimed to advance and strengthen the combat readiness of the troops.
The defense ministry announced that around 10,000 soldiers, more than 200 artillery systems, nearly 150 armored vehicles, more than 50 air defense systems, more than 400 vehicles and other mobile systems will be deployed for the exercises, with the focus of the drill being the “completion of missions at nighttime.”
On Tuesday, the air defense forces of the Armenian Armed Forces took part in the exercises with live fire with the involvement of Artsakh Defense Army air defense subdivisions. As the ministry of defense reported, the aim of the military exercise is to assess the level of combat-preparedness of the subdivisions, harmonize subdivisions during joint operations and enhance the efficiency of command and control systems, radar intelligence and surface-to-air missile complexes.
Modern air defense systems, including S-300, modernized S-125, Strela 10 surface-to-air missile system as well Igla-S man-portable air defense systems were involved in the exercises. Air defense subdivisions armed with modern home built radar stations are tested during the exercises.
The Azerbaijani defense ministry attempted to play down the scale of the exercises, issuing an announcement in which it claimed that the Artsakh Armed Forces were inflating the actual number of troops involved in the drills.
