List of modern equipment of the Azerbaijani Air Force
The Azerbaijani Air Forces use mainly Soviet-made combat aircraft. However, most of the aircraft have been modernized and equipped with modern avionics. Currently, Azerbaijan is holding talks with several countries, including Pakistan and Russia, to purchase new-generation aircraft, but so far any aircraft purchase agreement had not signed. The Azerbaijani side is particularly interested in purchasing Sukhoi Su-35 and Mikoyan MiG-35 aircraft from Russia and CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan.[1]
Azerbaijan's helicopter arsenal is more modern than in many post-Soviet countries. Thus, most of the helicopters have been upgraded, and a large number of new helicopters have been purchased in the last decade. Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of the number and use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A local factory producing UAVs has been operating in the country since 2011, and Azerbaijani UAVs have been successfully participating in active military operations for more than 10 years.
Most of the Soviet-made systems in the arsenal of air defense forces have also been replaced by modern ones, and Azerbaijan is ahead of most Eastern European and post-Soviet countries in terms of combat capability of air defense forces. Due to a large number of strategic facilities in the country, the Azerbaijani government is paying special attention to the purchase of modern air defense systems.
Aircraft[edit]
Current inventory[edit]
Aircraft | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat aircraft | ||||||
MiG-29 | Soviet Union | Multirole combat aircraft | 15[2] | 3 used for training[2] | ||
Sukhoi Su-25 | Soviet Union | Close air support aircraft | 12[2] | 1 used for training[2] | ||
Trainer aircraft | ||||||
Aermacchi M-346 | Italy | Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft | 15[3] | |||
Aero L-29 | Czechoslovakia | 28[4] | ||||
Aero L-39 Albatros | Czechoslovakia | Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft | 12[2] | |||
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak | Pakistan | Trainer Aircraft | 10[2] | |||
Transport aircraft | ||||||
CASA CN-235 | Spain | Transport aircraft | 4[5] | |||
Ilyushin Il-76 | Soviet Union | Strategic Airlifter | 2[6] | |||
Alenia C-27J Spartan | Italy | Transport aircraft | 4[7] | A contract was signed between Azerbaijan and Italy for the purchase of C-27J cargo aircraft.[8] |
Retired aircraft[edit]
Aircraft | Origin | Type | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 | Soviet Union | Interceptor aircraft | 48[9][10] | After the collapse of the USSR, Azerbaijan received about 48 MiG-25s, these are MiG-25PD, MiG-25RB, MiG-25RU and PU. In June 1992, 9 pilots, with the help of the technical staff of the squadron of the air reconnaissance regiment, who refused to join the Azerbaijani army, were able to overtake 7 MiG-25RB aircraft and one MiG-25RU aircraft to Russia in order to prevent their capture by the rebels. Ground protection during the ferry was provided by a platoon of soldiers of the Russian Airborne Forces of one of the regiments based nearby. In 1998, 8 MiG-25s were purchased from Kazakhstan [73]. Removed from service and replaced with MiG-29M1. There are from 10 to 20 MiG-25s in storage. In February 2014, it was announced that the MiG-25 would be upgraded at a local aircraft repair plant and returned to the Azerbaijan Air Force. [74] |
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 | Soviet Union | Interceptor aircraft | 5[6] | Reportedly in active condition. |
Sukhoi Su-17 | Soviet Union | Fighter-bomber | 5[10] | |
Sukhoi Su-24 | Soviet Union | Attack aircraft | 2[9] | As of November 2008, 11 Su-24s were in service in the Azerbaijani Air Force. As of 2013, 2 were active. |
Antonov An-12 | Soviet Union | Military transport aircraft | 1[9] | |
Yakovlev Yak-40 | Soviet Union | Regional jet | 3[9] |
Helicopters[edit]
Current inventory[edit]
Helicopter | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attack helicopter | ||||||
Mil Mi-35 | Russia | Attack helicopter | 24[11] | |||
Mil Mi-24G SuperHind | South Africa Ukraine Azerbaijan |
Attack helicopter | 12[12] | "Mi-24G" is a special modification of the Mi-24 helicopters by the South African "ATE" company and the Ukrainian Luch Design Bureau for the Azerbaijani Air Force. The letter "G" in the name of the modification means "Night (in Azerbaijani: Gecə)" and indicates the operational capabilities of the helicopter during night times. | ||
Mil Mi-24 | Soviet Union | Attack helicopter | 14[13][14] | |||
Transport helicopter | ||||||
Mil Mi-8/Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union Russia |
Transport helicopter | 64[6] | Delivered in the years 2010-2014. 1 lost in 2020 Karabakh War likely not to enemy fire.[15] | ||
McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender | USA | Transport helicopter|CSAR | 1[13] | |||
Bell 412 | USA | Transport helicopter | 2[6] | |||
Bell 407 | USA | Transport helicopter | 1[13] | |||
Kamov Ka-32 | Russia | Naval warfare helicopter | 4[6] |
Retired inventory[edit]
Helicopter | Origin | Type | Amount | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mil Mi-2 | Soviet Union | Light utility helicopter | 7[13] |
Unmanned aerial vehicles[edit]
Current inventory[edit]
Vehicle | Origin | In service | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-mission unmanned aerial vehicles | ||||||
Bayraktar Akıncı | Turkey | N/A | ||||
Bayraktar TB2 | Turkey | N/A[16] | Bought dozens in 2020. Actively used during July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes and 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict | |||
IAI Heron | Israel | 5[17] | ||||
IAI Searcher | Israel | 5[17] | ||||
Elbit Hermes 900 | Israel | 2[17] | ||||
Elbit Hermes 450 | Israel | 10[17] | ||||
Elbit Skylark | Israel | N/A[18] | ||||
ThunderB | Israel | N/A[18] | ||||
Aerostar | Israel Azerbaijan |
N/A[19] | Produced in Azerbaijan | |||
Orbiter 4 | Israel Azerbaijan |
N/A[19] | Produced in Azerbaijan | |||
Orbiter 3 | Israel Azerbaijan |
N/A[19] | Produced in Azerbaijan | |||
Orbiter 2 | Israel Azerbaijan |
N/A[19] | Produced in Azerbaijan | |||
Loitering munition | ||||||
Aerostat | ||||||
Skystar | Israel | N/A |
Air defense systems[edit]
Current missile systems[edit]
System | Origin | Version | In service | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Surface-to-air missile systems | ||||||
Iron Dome | Israel | N/A | On 17 December 2016, Azerbaijan Defense Industry Minister Yavar Jamalov told reporters that Azerbaijan had reached an agreement with Israel to purchase Iron Dome batteries in the first confirmed foreign sale of the system. The country's acquisition of the system is believed to be related to neighboring Armenia's purchase of Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missiles.[20] | |||
Barak 8 | Israel India | Barak-ER/LR | 2 units, 80 missiles[17] | |||
S-300 | Russia | S-300PMU2 Favorit | 2 units, 200 48N6 missiles[17] | |||
S-200 | Soviet Union | 4 units[21] | ||||
S-125 Neva/Pechora | Soviet Union Belarus |
S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM-29 | 13 units[10] | Modernized by "Tetraedr" company of Belarus | ||
Buk | Russia Belarus |
Buk-MB | 3 units, 100 9M38 missiles, 100 9M317 missiles[17] | Modernized by Belarus | ||
9K33 Osa | Soviet Union Belarus |
9K33-1T Osa-1T | N/A | Modernized by Belarus | ||
T-38 Stilet | Belarus | 2 units[22] | ||||
9K35 Strela-10 | Soviet Union | 54[10] | ||||
Anti-aircraft guns | ||||||
KS-19 | Soviet Union | 8 | ||||
ZSU-23-4 Shilka | Soviet Union | 40[10] | ||||
ZU-23-2 | Soviet Union | N/A | ||||
Man-portable air-defense systems | ||||||
9K38 Igla | Russia | Igla-S | 200 launchers, 1000 missiles[17] | |||
9K34 Strela-3 | Soviet Union | 18[17] | Purchased from Ukraine | |||
9K32 Strela-2 | Soviet Union | N/A |
Radars[edit]
System | Origin | Amount | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
EL/M-2080 Green Pine | Israel | N/A | [23] |
LTR LANZA 3D | Spain | 1[17] | |
EL/M-2106 | Israel | 2[17] | |
80K6M | Ukraine | 1[17] | |
P-18 radar | Soviet Union | N/A | |
P-19 radar | Soviet Union | N/A | |
P-40 radar | Soviet Union | N/A |
Retired missile systems[edit]
System | Origin | Version | Amount | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
S-75 Dvina | Soviet Union | N/A | ||
2K12 Kub | Soviet Union | N/A | ||
2K11 Krug | Soviet Union | 27 launchers[10] | ||
9K31 Strela-1 | Soviet Union | N/A |
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ "China supplies FC-1 multipurpose fighters to Azerbaijan". News. AM. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Hoyle, Craig (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Dunai, Peter. "Azerbaijan Buys the M-346 as Caucasus Stand-off Continues | AIN". Aviation International News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Чехия модернизирует азербайджанских "Дельфинов" и "Альбатросов"". Lenta.RU (in Russian). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Azərbaycan və Türkiyə Hərbi Hava Qüvvələrinin birgə təlimləri keçiriləcək". AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI MÜDAFİƏ NAZİRLİYİ (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Hoyle Flight International 2021, p. 13
- ^ "Leonardo: contract signed for C-27J to the Azerbaijan Air Force". www.leonardo.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Azerbaycan İtalya'dan C-27J Kargo Uçağı Alıyor" (in Turkish). 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Military Balance 2013." Archived 1 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, 14 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Александр Храмчихин (March 2016). "Армия одной войны" (Газета) (Военно-промышленный курьер ed.). ISSN 1729-3928.
16
- ^ "Azerbaijan Orders 24 Mi-35M Helicopter Gunships". Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ «НІЧНІ КРОКОДИЛИ» Archived 2016-02-04 at the Wayback Machine// Видання Міністерства оборони України «Народна армія», Березень 6, 2015
- ^ a b c d "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal.com, 2020
- ^ "Arms Supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan". EVN Report. 17 February 2021.
- ^ "World Arms Trade 2005-2016" (PDF) (in Russian). 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2013.
- ^ "Turkish Drones Over Nagorno-Karabakh—And Other Updates From A Day-Old War". Forbes. 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trade Registers Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ a b Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (29 December 2021). "Death From Above - Azerbaijan's Killer Drone Arsenal". Oryx.
- ^ a b c d "Aeronautics strengthening Israel-Azerbaijan links". Flightglobal Insight. 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ "Azerbaijan: 'We have closed deal to buy Israel's Iron Dome missile system". 18 December 2016.
- ^ Александр Храмчихин (March 2016). "Армия одной войны" (Газета) (Военно-промышленный курьер ed.). ISSN 1729-3928.
16
- ^ Лукашенко продал Азербайджану две батареи ЗРК «Стилет»
- ^ "List of ammunition purchased by Azerbaijan made public". 27 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
- Hoyle, Craig (2021). "World Air Forces 2022". Flight International. Retrieved 12 December 2021.