Armenia has doubled its order of Bastion armored personnel carriers (APC) from France according to a French Senate document related to the 2024 finance bill.

Twenty-four APCs have already been delivered to Armenia via the Georgian port of Poti according to several news sites. Official Yerevan has yet to confirm their delivery.

“24 Bastion-type armored vehicles, produced by the French group Arquus, are being delivered to Armenia and should be joined by 26 other vehicles of the same type currently in production,” the bill states.

The French FOB (Forces Operations Blog), on November 30, posted the Bastions were originally intended for “an army in the Sahel” and later rejected by Ukraine.

The Ouest France news site reported that  Kyiv deemed them too poorly protected against artillery fire and anti-tank missiles.

In October, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and the French Thales Group in Paris, signed a contract that will deliver three GM (Grand Master) 200 radar units to Armenia. In addition, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Papikyan signed a “letter of intent” on the future delivery of Mistral short-range surface-to-air missiles to Armenia.

Lecornu stressed the defensive character of the first-ever Western-manufactured major weapons supplied to Armenia. France also promised to improve Armenia’s air defenses, train Armenian military personnel, and help the country reform its armed forces.

Hetq contacted the Armenian defense ministry to confirm the order for an additional batch of Bastion armored vehicles. We were told that all questions about weapons must be addressed in writing.

Photo: Bastion armored vehicles destined to Armenia at Poti. ( FB page of military expert Leonid Nersisyan)