Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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Military power serves as a shield for the defence of every country, but this is not always the case. In some circumstances, the expansion of the military arsenal is caused by aggression against other countries' territorial integrity - just like in the former Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict.

Interestingly enough, if we look at the recent increase in Armenia's military budget, it may give rise to the question of what goals lie behind the armament of the small South Caucasian country. The point is that after Armenia was defeated by Azerbaijan in 2020 as a result of its aggressive attack, it began to give more priority to armament, even the purchase of the most expensive combat aircraft.

And if we approach the issue more delicately, we can say that that is the case why the Azerbaijani Army has also begun to renew, in particular, its military aviation fleet.

With the modification of SU-25 and the purchase of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, Azerbaijan has risen to the level of the most military-technically powerful country among the neighbouring countries, excluding Russia and Kazakhstan. Technically, both Iran's F14s and Turkiye's F16 block 50+ are inferior to JF-17 block 3s. As for the SU-30s, which Armenia owns, they are very few in number, and the aircraft come without weapons and ammunition on them.

Armenia's recent growing interest in SU-30s and its intention to purchase additional aircraft plus missiles from India have not been met with any ambivalence, particularly in Azerbaijan. The question of why a small state would need so many aircraft has prompted Azerbaijan to take some decisive steps.

Speaking to Azernews military expert Ramil Mammadli mentioned that Azerbaijan has already passed a stage that has been expected for a long time in its air forces system. Thus, the technical capabilities of the Air Force of the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry have become more modern, according to R. Mammadli.

“The purchase of the JF-17 multi-role combat aircraft and its inclusion in the military inventory of Azerbaijan made it possible for Azerbaijan to become a stronger aviation force in the region. Certainly, the defence industry and military-technical development is a process with an indefinite period. This process should be continued all the time. Therefore, it is not a secondary issue for Azerbaijan to acquire a fully-fledged and more effective combat aircraft in the field of combat aviation,” the expert said.

He noted that this is an issue that is always at the fore. However, these techniques are not frequently renewable and are considered suitable for long-term use. Ramil Mammadli added that the Air Force of Azerbaijan will still maintain an active fleet of JF-17, MIG 29, and SU-25 fighter jets for the next 10 years. In other words, the purchase of J-10 CE aircraft from China does not seem realistic yet.

"On the other hand, the purchase of this type of product, namely military aircraft or ships from China, is of a political nature. I do not think that Azerbaijan intends to purchase this type of weapons which might then lead to some political tensions. So, in this sense, Pakistan is one of the most successful countries.” he opined.

As for the cooperation of the Azerbaijani Defence Industry with China, the military expert said that this is generally a wide-ranging topic. He also highlighted the importance of this cooperation in terms of making modern military technologies accessible.

“Azerbaijan can cooperate with China in the field of the defence industry, both in the field of raw materials of defence industry products, bringing them to the finished production level, and also in the field of obtaining products made based on a digital scientific and theoretical base.

For example, Azerbaijan can achieve the implementation of certain projects in this direction in cooperation with China to bring its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles to a more perfect level. That is, projects can be implemented in the direction of the production of chips, thermal and night vision devices, and cameras. It can also implement several projects in the direction of creating strategic products. I think that the existence of cooperation between China and Azerbaijan can only and only bring success to Azerbaijan. I would even say that Azerbaijan can carry out the assembly and preparation of some Chinese-made products in Azerbaijan.

In short, there is cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in all areas of the defence industry, and this cooperation can undoubtedly contribute to the strengthening of the defence industry,” Ramil Mammadli concluded.