Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict

Implications for India

Abstract

Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in September-November 2020, was followed keenly by military strategists across the world. It was the first
time a nation had been comprehensively defeated by the use of drone warfare. The changing nature of warfare and the use of disruptive emerging technologies to change the tide of battle was an issue of interest across the world. The employment of drones on the battlefield of Nagorno-Karabakh had been a game-changer for Azerbaijani forces which destroyed the Armenian air defence (AD) resources, mech columns, and arty guns. The low-cost option of employment of drones by Azerbaijan in non-contact yet highly kinetic warfare resulted in minimizing their own casualties and ensuring a crushing defeat for Armenia. As India embarks on the modernization of its Armed Forces in line with its growing stature on the world stage, there has to be a balance struck between the acquisition of conventional weapon platforms and the embracement of new emerging technologies in India’s strategic
security calculus. There is a need for the building of anti-access bubbles as deterrence which are difficult to penetrate and the use of technologies that provide leverage in this competitive space.