The Day of the Air Defense Forces of Armenia is celebrated by military personnel of these troops of the Armed Forces of the Republic annually on the third Sunday of May. The date of the holiday was set in memory of the fact that in May 1994 the formation of air defense units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia was completed.
The Armenian Air Defense Forces (Air Defense) are part of the Armed Forces of Armenia and are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic.
The formation of the Armed Forces (AF) of Armenia began even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the early 90s of the last century. In May 1994, the formation of air defense units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia was completed. And since that time, the third Sunday of May has been celebrated in the Armenian armed forces as Air Defense Day.
At the first stage of military construction, the military leadership of Armenia deliberately did not make a decision on the creation of aviation units. This was largely due to the fact that there were not sufficiently trained military airfields, repair and maintenance services, or well-trained flight technical personnel on the territory of the Republic. There were also many problems associated with a stable supply of fuels and lubricants.
Subsequently, it was decided to create, as far as possible, highly effective air defense units that would focus on neutralizing enemy fighter and attack aircraft. It was possible to almost completely restore the country's air defense system (anti-aircraft missile launchers and radar stations), which existed before the collapse of the USSR.
In April 1994, it was officially announced for the first time that the « sky over Yerevan, like all Armenian airspace, was reliably protected by » air defense systems. The Armenian leadership emphasizes that the assistance and assistance of Russian military specialists played a significant role in restoring the air defense system and increasing its combat readiness. An important factor is that air defense units are staffed with highly qualified national personnel.