Azerbaijan Might Expand Small Air Force With Turkish And Georgian Attack Aircraft

The South Caucasus nation of Azerbaijan would possibly resolve to increase its small air drive within the foreseeable future with reasonably priced acquisitions from neighboring Turkey and Georgia. 

Turkey and Azerbaijan have dramatically elevated navy ties in recent times. Turkish arms exports to Baku surged six-fold within the months main as much as the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh battle, through which Azerbaijan dealt Armenia a stinging defeat. Azerbaijan’s efficient use of Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 drones piqued curiosity within the drone from many international locations.

Final June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to go to town of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan captured within the battle. They signed the eponymous Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey that pledged to extend the already in depth navy cooperation between their two international locations.

Baku would possibly properly search extra plane for its small air drive that at present consists of a dozen Russian-built MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets and a dozen Su-25 Frogfoot assault plane. 

It might search extra plane, however not essentially costly high-performance jets. In any case, Armenia spent enormous sums modernizing its air drive by shopping for 4 supermaneuverable Su-30SM multirole fighter jets from Russia that weren’t even used in the course of the 2020 battle, regardless of being essentially the most superior and succesful fighter in Yerevan’s arsenal. 

As a substitute, Azerbaijan might purchase coach plane that will also be used as mild assault planes. 

Turkey just lately reached a deal to promote the African nation of Niger numerous its domestically constructed two-seat TAI Hürkuş turboprop trainers, its first export buyer for the plane. It’s hopeful that Azerbaijan will purchase the fundamental coach subsequent. 

“We’ll see essential developments [about exporting the aircraft to Azerbaijan],” Ismail Demir, head of Turkey’s Presidency of Protection Industries, stated on Dec. 4. 

The next day, a Hürkuş was taken for a check flight in Azerbaijan.

Other than being a primary coach, the Hürkuş can even carry general-purpose bombs and launch Turkish-built Sensible Micro Munitions (MAM), the identical armaments used on its Bayraktar drones. 

In January, the Turkish authorities authorised serial manufacturing of one other domestically-built mild fight/coach plane, the TAI Hürjet. Not like the Hürkuş, the Hürjet is a complicated jet coach like South Korea’s T-50 Golden Eagle, an plane which received Seoul prospects from Indonesia to Iraq. 

Azerbaijan may additionally search the Hürjet as soon as it rolls off the manufacturing line to bolster its airpower, practice new pilots and provides its present pilots extra flight time. 

Azerbaijan has already proven an curiosity in augmenting its air drive with such mild jets. In February 2020, President Aliyev introduced his nation would purchase superior M-346 jet trainers from Italy that may additionally carry good and general-purpose bombs together with missiles. 

There have been rumors and hypothesis that Baku might search the JF-17 Thunder from Pakistan, a detailed ally, as its subsequent fighter jet relatively than extra Russian fighters. The JF-17 is cheaper, and its new Block 3 variant comes geared up with lively electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The JF-17 Block 3, or finally even Block 4, jets would possibly finally change Azerbaijani MiG-29s within the subsequent decade. Within the meantime, some Hürjets might complement the Azerbaijani air drive till it will definitely procures extra superior 4.5-generation jets. 

Azerbaijan additionally operates Su-25s. Turkey helped Baku modernize its Frogfoots to make them suitable with Turkish and locally-made armaments, reportedly together with Turkey’s SOM cruise missile, which has a reported vary of about 150 miles, which provides this shut air help jet a standoff functionality. The jets had been additionally geared up with Belarusian Talisman digital countermeasure pods which might be credited with rising their survivability within the final Nagorno-Karabakh battle. 

In September-October, Turkish social media was abuzz with rumors that Turkey had deliberate to purchase 50 Su-25s constructed by the Republic of Georgia, house to Tbilisi Plane Industries that constructed Frogfoots in the course of the Soviet period. 

A Turkish TRHabur article dismissed these rumors. Nonetheless, that report additionally cited an aviation researcher named Tolga Özbek, who speculated that Turkey would possibly outfit new Georgian-built Su-25s with Turkish-built avionics and weapons for Azerbaijan. Baku beforehand purchased a lot of its Su-25s from Georgia in 2002. 

Georgia has bold plans to construct a model new Su-25 variant with none Russian elements referred to as the Ge-31 Bora. The fuselage and wings of the Bora will likely be in-built Georgia. Other than incorporating the Bora into its air drive, Georgia hopes to export the jet. Georgia check flew Su-25s it modernized in March and April final 12 months. These upgraded Su-25s are “supposed for each fight and coaching flights.” 

As analysts have already famous, the Ge-31 “will solely be doable if Georgia is ready to entice important funding from overseas companions.” 

Whereas Israel and Ukraine had been cited because the more than likely candidates, Azerbaijan might additionally show appropriate. It might finance the undertaking and possibly even contract Tbilisi Plane Industries to construct a Ge-31 variant to its specs, therefore a tailored model suitable with Turkish-built munitions and programs.

Such an association might work out for everybody concerned. In any case, it will finally present Azerbaijan’s air drive with a fleet of factory-fresh assault jets and Georgia the cash it must make the Ge-31 a tangible actuality. Turkey’s arms business would additionally welcome one more profitable contract for supplying its shut Caucasian ally with weapons.