Azerbaijan signs agreement with Turkish company on Su-25 modernization
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry and Turkish company TUSAŞ have signed an agreement on the modernization of Su-25 attack aircraft, Azernews reports.
The signing ceremony was held within the framework of the 16th International Defence Industry Exhibition "IDEF-23" in Istanbul, APA's correspondent in Istanbul reports.
The document was signed by Deputy Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan - Head of the Main Department of Military-Technical Supply Agil Gurbanov and General Manager of TUSAŞ Temel Kotil.
Azerbaijan Expands Military Ties with Turkiye, Signs Agreement on Su-25 Modernization
Azerbaijan has significantly increased its military ties with Turkiye in recent years, culminating in the signing of the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations between the two countries. As part of this agreement, Azerbaijan has signed an agreement with a Turkish company to modernize its fleet of Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft.
The Turkish defense industry is integrating precision ammunition and undertaking structural and avionic upgrades to the Su-25s. This includes the integration of the Winged Guidance Kit (KGK) developed by TÜBİTAK-SAGE, which was recently tested with success. The KGK-83 has a maximum range of 60 nautical miles (110km+) when launched from a high altitude, and a maximum range of 20 nautical miles (37km+) when launched from a low altitude.
The modernization project is expected to boost the export potential of the Su-25s and is part of a larger effort to integrate NATO-standard national ammunition into the Soviet-origin aircraft. The project is expected to be completed in the near future, with Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov observing the shooting.
Turkiye has also helped Baku modernize its Su-25s to make them compatible with Turkish and locally-made armaments, including Turkiye's SOM cruise missile. In September-October of 2022, there were rumors that Turkiye had planned to buy 50 Su-25s built by the Republic of Georgia. Georgia has ambitious plans to build a brand new Su-25 variant without any Russian components called the Ge-31 Bora, and Azerbaijan could finance the project and contract Tbilisi Aircraft Industries to build a Ge-31 variant to its specifications.
Overall, Azerbaijan's agreement with a Turkish company to modernize its Su-25s is part of a larger effort to expand its air force with affordable acquisitions from neighboring Turkiye and Georgia. This could include the Hürkuş, Hürjet, M-346, JF-17 Thunder, and possibly even the Ge-31 Bora. Such an arrangement could work out for everyone involved, providing Azerbaijan's air force with a fleet of factory-fresh attack jets and Georgia the money it needs to make the Ge-31 a tangible reality, while also providing Turkiye's arms industry with yet another lucrative contract.
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