List of modern equipment of the Azerbaijani Air Force

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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Most of the Soviet-made systems in the arsenal of air defense forces have also been replaced by modern ones, and Azerbaijan is ahead of most Eastern European and post-Soviet countries in terms of combat capability of air defense forces.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.

Su-25s of Azerbaijani Air Force

Aircraft[]

MiG-29s of Azerbaijani Air Force

Current inventory[]

Aircraft Origin Type In service Notes
Combat aircraft
MiG-29 Soviet Union Multirole combat aircraft 14[2] 16 units were purchased from Ukraine. However, 2 of them fell into the Caspian Sea during the training. 3 of them are used for training.[3]
Sukhoi Su-25 Soviet Union Close air support aircraft 16[4] In 2002, 6 SU-25s were purchased from Georgia, and in 2009-2012, 11 SU-25s were purchased from Ukraine. However, one SU-25 crashed during the training. Another SU-25 was shot down in the 2020 Karabakh Conflict[3]
Sukhoi Su-24 Soviet Union Attack aircraft 2[5] As of November 2008, 11 Su-24s are in service in the Azerbaijani Air Force. Currently, 2 are active.
Trainer aircraft
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master Italy Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft 12[6] Preliminary agreement signed during the visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Italy on 20 February 2020.[7]
Aero L-39 Albatros Czechoslovakia Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft 12[4]
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak Pakistan Trainer Aircraft 10[4]
Diamond DA42 Twin Star Austria Trainer Aircraft N/A Produced locally under license by "AZAD Systems Co" production branch of the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan[8]
Transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-76 Soviet Union Strategic Airlifter 2[4]

Retired aircraft[]

Aircraft Origin Type In service Notes
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Soviet Union Interceptor aircraft 48[5][9] after the collapse of the USSR, he 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 11[2] The Azerbaijani Air Force Inventory has 11 MiG-21 fighter jets, 5 of which are in active condition.
Sukhoi Su-17/22 Soviet Union Fighter-bomber 5[9]
Antonov An-26 Soviet Union Military transport aircraft N/A
Antonov An-12 Soviet Union Military transport aircraft 1[5]
Antonov An-2 Soviet Union Military transport aircraft N/A
Yakovlev Yak-40 Soviet Union Regional jet 3[5]

Helicopters[]

Mil Mi-24G

Current inventory[]

Helicopter Origin Type In service Notes
Attack helicopter
Mil Mi-35 Russia Attack helicopter 24[10]
Mil Mi-24G SuperHind South Africa/Ukraine/Azerbaijan Attack helicopter 12[11] "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[4][3]
Transport helicopter
Mil Mi-17 Russia Transport helicopter 66[4] Delivered in the years 2010-2014. 1 lost in 2020 Karabakh War likely not to enemy fire. [12]
McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender United States Transport helicopter 1[4]
Bell 412 United States Transport helicopter 2[4]
Bell 407 United States Transport helicopter 1[4]
Kamov Ka-32A Russia Naval warfare helicopter 4[4]
Mil Mi-8 Soviet Union Transport helicopter 13[13]

Retired inventory[]

Helicopter Origin Type Amount Notes
Mil Mi-2 Soviet Union Light transport helicopter 7[4]

Unmanned aerial vehicles[]

Locally produced "Aerostar UAV" during the military parade in Baku, 2018

Current inventory[]

Vehicle Origin In service Notes
Multi-mission unmanned aerial vehicles
Bayraktar TB2 Turkey N/A[14] Buy dozens in 2020. Actively used during July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes and 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
IAI Heron Israel 5[15]
IAI Searcher Israel 5[15]
Elbit Hermes 900 Israel 2[15]
Elbit Hermes 450 Israel 10[15]
Skylark 3 Israel N/A
Israel N/A
Aerostar Israel/Azerbaijan N/A[16] Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 4 Israel/Azerbaijan N/A[16] Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 3 Israel/Azerbaijan N/A[16] Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 2 Israel/Azerbaijan N/A[16] Produced in Azerbaijan
Loitering munition
IAI Harop Israel 50[15] Delivered between 2015–2016. Actively used during 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes and 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
SkyStriker Israel 100[15]
Orbiter 1K Israel/Azerbaijan 100[16] Produced in Azerbaijan
Aerostat
Skystar Israel N/A

Air defense systems[]

S300PMU2 Favorite SAM in Baku

Current missile systems[]

System Origin Version In service Notes
Surface-to-air missile systems
Barak 8 Israel Barak-ER/LR 2 units, 80 missiles[15]
S-300 missile system Russia S-300PMU2 Favorite 2 units, 200 48N6 missiles[15]
S-200 (missile) Soviet Union S-300PMU2 Favorite 4 units[17]
S-125 Neva/Pechora Soviet Union/Belarus S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM-29 13 units[9] Modernized by "Tetraedr" company of Belarus
Tor missile system Russia 9K332 Tor-M2E 8[9]
Buk missile system Russia/Belarus Buk-MB 3 units, 100 9M38 missiles, 100 9M317 missiles[15] Modernized by Belarus
9K33 Osa Soviet Union/Belarus 9K33-1T Osa-1T N/A Modernized by Belarus
T-38 Stilet Belarus 2 units[18]
9K35 Strela-10 Soviet Union 54[9]
Anti-aircraft guns
ZSU-23-4 Shilka Soviet Union 40[9]
ZU-23-2 Soviet Union N/A
Man-portable air-defense systems
9K38 Igla Russia Igla-S 200 launchers, 1000 missiles[15]
9K34 Strela-3 Soviet Union 18[15] Purchased from Ukraine
9K32 Strela-2 Soviet Union N/A
Radar of S300PMU2 Favorite

Radars[]

System Origin Amount Notes
EL/M-2080 Green Pine Israel N/A [19]
TRML 3D Germany N/A
LTR LANZA 3D Spain 1[15]
EL/M-2106 Israel 2[15]
EL/M-2084 Israel N/A
Ukraine 1[15]
P-18 radar Soviet Union N/A
P-19 radar Soviet Union N/A
P-40 radar Soviet Union N/A

Retired missile systems[]

System Origin Version Amount Notes
S-75 Dvina Soviet Union N/A
S-25 Berkut Soviet Union N/A
2K12 Kub Soviet Union N/A
2K11 Krug Soviet Union 27 launchers[9]
9K31 Strela-1 Soviet Union N/A

References[]

  1. ^ "China supplies FC-1 multipurpose fighters to Azerbaijan". News. AM. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "World Air Forces 2013". Flightglobal.com, 11 December 2012.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Arms Supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan". EVN Report.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal.com, 2020
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Military Balance 2013." Archived 1 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, 14 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Forum Portale Difesa". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. ^ [1] 29 February 2020
  8. ^ [2] Azertag, 3 March 2011
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Александр Храмчихин (March 2016). "Армия одной войны" (Газета) (Военно-промышленный курьер ed.). ISSN 1729-3928. 16
  10. ^ "Azerbaijan Orders 24 Mi-35M Helicopter Gunships". Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  11. ^ «НІЧНІ КРОКОДИЛИ» Archived 2016-02-04 at the Wayback Machine// Видання Міністерства оборони України «Народна армія», Березень 6, 2015
  12. ^ "World Arms Trade 2005-2016". , 2016
  13. ^ "Airwar.ru". Airwar.ru
  14. ^ "Turkish Drones Over Nagorno-Karabakh—And Other Updates From A Day-Old War". Forbes. 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trade Registers Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  16. ^ Александр Храмчихин (March 2016). "Армия одной войны" (Газета) (Военно-промышленный курьер ed.). ISSN 1729-3928. 16
  17. ^ Лукашенко продал Азербайджану две батареи ЗРК «Стилет»
  18. ^ "List of ammunition purchased by Azerbaijan made public". 27 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
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