At RISE 2026, a high-tech exhibition organized by the UEICT (Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technologies) with the support of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, APRI Armenia Senior Advisor Leonid Nersisyan moderated a panel discussion on “Challenges of the Development of the Military Industry.”
It brought together David Galoyan, Founder of Davaro; Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia; Vardan Jhanyan, First Deputy General Director of Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine; Aram Jivanyan, Chairman of the Military Industry Committee; Adam A. Kablanian, Manager of the “S-yunik” Investment Fund; and Gegham Vardanyan, Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Technologies Group/ATG.
The discussion focused on the next phase of Armenia’s defense-tech development: moving from early success stories to a sustainable defense-industrial ecosystem. The speakers’ presentations focused on state policy, investment, serial production, the drone industry, and complex hardware, while also highlighting export opportunities and the way Armenia’s industrial base supports high-tech defense manufacturing.
A key takeaway:
☑️ There is a need to move to longer-term formats for cooperation between industry and government—these should succeed the three-year contract pipelines that were previously one of the main instruments.
