Mkhitar Hayrapetyan: Armenian companies granted licenses to export military products

In 2025, approximately 2.1 billion drams were allocated to finance research and development (R&D) and experimental design projects in the defense industry under the toolkit of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry. This was announced on February 16 by Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan during a press conference summarizing the results of 2025.

He emphasized that this represents an increase of around 50% compared to 2024, when funding amounted to approximately 1.4 billion drams. According to the minister, this growth became possible thanks to comprehensive and substantively grounded reforms—complex but justified—that enhanced the attractiveness of the program for companies in the defense-industrial sector.

Detailing the legislative amendments and sectoral reforms implemented in 2025, Hayrapetyan noted that these changes also enabled Armenian defense companies to enter foreign markets. A new procedure was introduced to finance the creation of prototype models required for state trials. He explained that this constitutes a new financial support mechanism designed to help companies navigate the complex and costly process of government testing. As a result, in 2025 a number of companies received state-issued licenses to export military products.

In addition, Hayrapetyan stated that at the end of 2025 the Government of Armenia made what he described as a strategically important decision to continue the practice of three-year contracts, following the 2022–2023 and 2023–2025 cycles. The second phase of funding has already been announced, with a total budget exceeding 151 billion drams.