Tweet
PRODUCTION OF A PROPER PIECE OF ARMOURED HARDWARE IN AZERBAIJAN IS A FANTASY'
by Etibar Seyidaga
Yeni Musavat
April 1 2008
Azerbaijan
Ildirim Mammadov: 'A piece of hardware at best similar to Bozqurd
manufactured in Azerbaijan in early 1990s will be made'
We reported about plans to launch production of tanks and various
[military] carriers in Azerbaijan in the middle of last year. Reports
are there again that the government has such a plan. There are also
detailed reports where a plant to manufacture tanks and armoured
military carriers will be located. Gun Sahar reported yesterday [31
March] that the government would liquidate the Sumqayit tube-rolling
mill and put it under the use of the Defence Industry Ministry.
It is reported that the setting of the tube-rolling mill will be
modified for the production of military armoured hardware. It is
already reported that repairs and reconstruction have already been
kicked off at the mill.
However, the spokesman for the Defence Ministry, Eldar Sabiroglu,
has no information to this effect. He also advised us to contact the
Defence Industry Ministry over the issue. But there was no reply to
our repeated calls to the ministry yesterday.
As reports about Azerbaijan's plans to produce tanks and armoured
military hardware have caused interests across the country, we decided
to find out whether or not Azerbaijan can produce modern armoured
military hardware under the current real situation and if the country
has sufficient resources.
Expert on military industry, retired Col Ildirim Mammadov, whom we
turned to for a comment, said it was impossible to build a plant
to produce military hardware in Azerbaijan: "Either the production
of modern armoured hardware or their assembly is impossible in
Azerbaijan. It is possible to build such a plant as part of a mechanism
for plundering the state budget. However, be sure that such a plant
would produce low-quality military hardware like Oka cars produced
at the Ganca machine-building plant some years ago.
Azerbaijan imports spare parts to assemble Oka cars or Kamaz lorries
and cannot manage to assemble them properly let alone production of
heavy armoured military hardware. In early 1990s, during the war
[between Armenia and Azerbaijan], the Sattarxan plant was making
Bozqurd military hardware. Engines of GAZ-53 vehicles were installed
in those pieces of military hardware called armoured carrier weighing
8-9 tonnes. Their engines stopped when they ascended a low hill.
Whatever they want to produce now, they will have at best a piece of
military hardware similar to Bozqurd."
Ildirim Mammadov urged the Azerbaijani government to refrain from such
a hopeless endeavour: "I would not like the Azerbaijani political
leadership to deceive itself with such a fantasy. I advise them to
stay away from thoughts of producing armoured hardware.
"Azerbaijan has almost no specialists in this sphere with no
relevant specialized schools in the country. A large and mighty
country like China is unable to produce modern armoured military
hardware independently and therefore, obtains licences, technology
and necessary components from other countries. It is absurd for small
countries like Azerbaijan to make armoured military hardware."
The expert also recalled that during the Soviet period Azerbaijan had
plants for repairs of armoured military hardware: "Those plants were
engaged in painting old pieces of hardware and repairs of their broken
simple parts. Georgia had plants doing bigger repairs. If they think
of setting up a new plant on the basis of them for the production of
new military hardware, this is also out of question."
The colonel emphasized that the most successful option for Azerbaijan
is to procure armoured hardware abroad: "Everyone knows what countries
are manufacturers of armoured military hardware and ammunition. It
would be cheaper to procure armoured military hardware from those
countries rather than making them in Azerbaijan. Billions of dollars
are required just for the building a plant to manufacture modern
armoured military hardware. Only funds to build such a plant would
be sufficient for Azerbaijan to procure military hardware abroad."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
by Etibar Seyidaga
Yeni Musavat
April 1 2008
Azerbaijan
Ildirim Mammadov: 'A piece of hardware at best similar to Bozqurd
manufactured in Azerbaijan in early 1990s will be made'
We reported about plans to launch production of tanks and various
[military] carriers in Azerbaijan in the middle of last year. Reports
are there again that the government has such a plan. There are also
detailed reports where a plant to manufacture tanks and armoured
military carriers will be located. Gun Sahar reported yesterday [31
March] that the government would liquidate the Sumqayit tube-rolling
mill and put it under the use of the Defence Industry Ministry.
It is reported that the setting of the tube-rolling mill will be
modified for the production of military armoured hardware. It is
already reported that repairs and reconstruction have already been
kicked off at the mill.
However, the spokesman for the Defence Ministry, Eldar Sabiroglu,
has no information to this effect. He also advised us to contact the
Defence Industry Ministry over the issue. But there was no reply to
our repeated calls to the ministry yesterday.
As reports about Azerbaijan's plans to produce tanks and armoured
military hardware have caused interests across the country, we decided
to find out whether or not Azerbaijan can produce modern armoured
military hardware under the current real situation and if the country
has sufficient resources.
Expert on military industry, retired Col Ildirim Mammadov, whom we
turned to for a comment, said it was impossible to build a plant
to produce military hardware in Azerbaijan: "Either the production
of modern armoured hardware or their assembly is impossible in
Azerbaijan. It is possible to build such a plant as part of a mechanism
for plundering the state budget. However, be sure that such a plant
would produce low-quality military hardware like Oka cars produced
at the Ganca machine-building plant some years ago.
Azerbaijan imports spare parts to assemble Oka cars or Kamaz lorries
and cannot manage to assemble them properly let alone production of
heavy armoured military hardware. In early 1990s, during the war
[between Armenia and Azerbaijan], the Sattarxan plant was making
Bozqurd military hardware. Engines of GAZ-53 vehicles were installed
in those pieces of military hardware called armoured carrier weighing
8-9 tonnes. Their engines stopped when they ascended a low hill.
Whatever they want to produce now, they will have at best a piece of
military hardware similar to Bozqurd."
Ildirim Mammadov urged the Azerbaijani government to refrain from such
a hopeless endeavour: "I would not like the Azerbaijani political
leadership to deceive itself with such a fantasy. I advise them to
stay away from thoughts of producing armoured hardware.
"Azerbaijan has almost no specialists in this sphere with no
relevant specialized schools in the country. A large and mighty
country like China is unable to produce modern armoured military
hardware independently and therefore, obtains licences, technology
and necessary components from other countries. It is absurd for small
countries like Azerbaijan to make armoured military hardware."
The expert also recalled that during the Soviet period Azerbaijan had
plants for repairs of armoured military hardware: "Those plants were
engaged in painting old pieces of hardware and repairs of their broken
simple parts. Georgia had plants doing bigger repairs. If they think
of setting up a new plant on the basis of them for the production of
new military hardware, this is also out of question."
The colonel emphasized that the most successful option for Azerbaijan
is to procure armoured hardware abroad: "Everyone knows what countries
are manufacturers of armoured military hardware and ammunition. It
would be cheaper to procure armoured military hardware from those
countries rather than making them in Azerbaijan. Billions of dollars
are required just for the building a plant to manufacture modern
armoured military hardware. Only funds to build such a plant would
be sufficient for Azerbaijan to procure military hardware abroad."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress