Patricia Marins
After winning the 2020 war against Armenia, Azerbaijan strengthened its ties with Israel, a country from which reports suggest it has an airbase in Baku. During the 12-day war, Iran directly accused Baku of allowing Israel access to airspace and military logistics.
The controversies didn’t end there. The Azerbaijani president challenged the Russians, calling their soldiers drunk and incapable, compared to the Azerbaijani army made up of professional military personnel.
Before the incident with the downed Azerbaijani plane, the president also called Putin a mafia boss after the civilian aircraft incident. Arrests of journalists on both sides occurred, and tensions increased with the Russians bombing Azerbaijani pipelines in Ukraine.
The fact is that Azerbaijan has become a significant regional player and is arming itself to the teeth.
Recently, the country announced the purchase of 48 Nora-B52 NG artillery systems, totaling over 400 self-propelled systems. Stop believing that the West, with all its effort, delivered around 600 to Ukraine.
It’s worth noting that the Azerbaijani military has at least 600 MLRS, including 100 guided rocket systems with ranges far beyond those of HIMARS.
More than 1,300 tanks, primarily Aslan T72s, are being modernized by Elbit, with Czech and Azerbaijani companies involved, incorporating Kontakt 5 and a comprehensive set of electronics.
Armored vehicles are being fitted with kits that include 4 SPIKE NLOS missiles.
The air defense systems have received a huge investment, estimated in the billions of dollars.
Today, the country operates about 10 PantiSir-S1 batteries, 2 S-300PMU2 batteries, and a range of Soviet-origin systems like the 9K33 OSA, modernized by Israel, along with batteries of Iron Dome, and more recently, Israeli systems like BARAK MX/BARAK 8, with hundreds of missiles.
A robust air defense, especially for a small country.
Adding to this arsenal, Israel has supplied at least 100 LORA quasi-ballistic missiles to Azerbaijan, which has also negotiated with Turkey the deployment of the SOM ŞAHIN cruise missiles.
These missiles will be operated by 50-60 Pakistani JF-17 Thunder/C fighters under contracts exceeding $6 billion.
Azerbaijan is encircled by three countries involved in recent military and diplomatic conflicts: Armenia, Iran, and Russia, and is actively preparing for potential conflict.
The arsenal is enormous for a country with fewer than 10 million inhabitants, supported by Turkey and Israel – two countries with large military industries -, indicating a high potential for replenishing stocks.
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