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Most of the Soviet-made systems in the arsenal of air defense forces have also been replaced by modern ones, and Azerbaijan is ahead of most Eastern European and post-Soviet countries in terms of combat capability of air defense forces.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

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 Multirole combat aircraft 13[2] Purchased from Ukraine between the years 2006-2007 and 2009–2011.
Sukhoi Su-25 Close air support aircraft 16[3] In 2002, 6 Su-25T units were delivered from Georgia, another 6 Su-25 units and 1 Su-25UB unit were delivered in 2005. Six more Su-25s were purchased from Belarus between the years 2009–2012.
Sukhoi Su-24 Attack aircraft 2[4]
Trainer aircraft
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft 12[5] Preliminary agreement signed during the visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Italy on 20 February 2020.[6]
Aero L-39 Albatros Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft 12[3]
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak Trainer Aircraft 10[3]
Diamond DA42 Twin Star Trainer Aircraft N/A Produced locally under license by "AZAD Systems Co" production branch of the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan[7]
Transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-76 Strategic Airlifter 2[3]

Retired aircraft
Aircraft Origin Type In service Notes
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Interceptor aircraft 32[4][8] 6 MIG-25PD, MIG-25RB versions
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Interceptor aircraft 5[2]
Sukhoi Su-17/22 Fighter-bomber 5[8]
Antonov An-26 Military transport aircraft N/A
Antonov An-12 Military transport aircraft 1[4]
Antonov An-2 Military transport aircraft N/A
Yakovlev Yak-40 Regional jet 3[4]

Helicopters
Mil Mi-24G

Current inventory
Helicopter Origin Type In service Notes
Attack helicopter
Mil Mi-35 Attack helicopter 24[9]
Mil Mi-24G SuperHind // Attack helicopter 12[10] "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 Attack helicopter 17[3]
Transport helicopter
Mil Mi-17 Transport helicopter 66[3] Delivered in the years 2010-2014[11]
McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender Transport helicopter 1[3]
Bell 412 Transport helicopter 2[3]
Bell 407 Transport helicopter 1[3]
Kamov Ka-32A Naval warfare helicopter 4[3]
Mil Mi-8 Transport helicopter 13[12]

Retired inventory
Helicopter Origin Type Amount Notes
Mil Mi-2 Light transport helicopter 7[3]

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
IAI Heron 5[13]
IAI Searcher 5[13]
Elbit Hermes 900 2[13]
Elbit Hermes 450 10[13]
Skylark 3 N/A
ThunderB N/A
Aerostar / N/A[14] Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 4 / N/A[14] Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 3 / N/A[14] Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 2 / N/A[14] Produced in Azerbaijan
Bayraktar TB2 N/A[15] Buy dozens in 2020. Actively used during July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes and 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Loitering munition
IAI Harop 50[13] Delivered between 2015–2016. Actively used during 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes and 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
SkyStriker 100[13]
Orbiter 1K / 100[14] Produced in Azerbaijan
Aerostat
Skystar 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 Barak-ER/LR 2 units, 80 missiles[13]
S-300 missile system S-300PMU2 Favorite 2 units, 200 48N6 missiles[13]
S-200 (missile) S-300PMU2 Favorite 4 units[8]
S-125 Neva/Pechora / S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM-29 13 units[8] Modernized by "Tetraedr" company of Belarus
Tor missile system 9K332 Tor-M2E 8[8]
Buk missile system / Buk-MB 3 units, 100 9M38 missiles, 100 9M317 missiles[13] Modernized by Belarus
9K33 Osa / 9K33-1T Osa-1T N/A Modernized by Belarus
T-38 Stilet 2 units[16]
9K35 Strela-10 54[8]
Anti-aircraft guns
ZSU-23-4 Shilka 40[8]
ZU-23-2 N/A
Man-portable air-defense systems
9K38 Igla Igla-S 200 launchers, 1000 missiles[13]
9K34 Strela-3 18[13] Purchased from Ukraine
9K32 Strela-2 N/A
Radar of S300PMU2 Favorite

Radars
System Origin Amount Notes
EL/M-2080 Green Pine N/A [17]
TRML 3D N/A
LTR LANZA 3D 1[13]
EL/M-2106 2[13]
EL/M-2084 N/A
80K6M 1[13]
P-18 radar N/A
P-19 radar N/A
P-40 radar N/A

Retired missile systems
System Origin Version Amount Notes
S-75 Dvina N/A
S-25 Berkut N/A
2K12 Kub N/A
2K11 Krug 27 launchers[8]
9K31 Strela-1 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. "World Air Forces 2013". Flightglobal.com, 11 December 2012.
  3. "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal.com, 2020
  4. "Military Balance 2013." Archived 1 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, 14 March 2013.
  5. "Forum Portale Difesa". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  6. 29 February 2020
  7. Azertag, 3 March 2011
  8. Александр Храмчихин (March 2016). "Армия одной войны" (Газета) (Военно-промышленный курьер ed.). ISSN 1729-3928. 16
  9. "Azerbaijan Orders 24 Mi-35M Helicopter Gunships". Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  10. «НІЧНІ КРОКОДИЛИ» Archived 2016-02-04 at the Wayback Machine// Видання Міністерства оборони України «Народна армія», Березень 6, 2015
  11. "World Arms Trade 2005-2016". , 2016
  12. "Airwar.ru". Airwar.ru
  13. Trade Registers Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  14. "Turkish Drones Over Nagorno-Karabakh—And Other Updates From A Day-Old War". Forbes. 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  15. Лукашенко продал Азербайджану две батареи ЗРК «Стилет»
  16. "List of ammunition purchased by Azerbaijan made public". 27 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
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