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AZERIS ACQUIRE ISRAELI-MADE DRONES
asbarez
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Israeli Aerostar Drone
BAKU (UPI)-Azerbaijan is expected to acquire 60 small Israeli-designed
unmanned aerial vehicles built under license in the oil-rich former
Soviet republic that's moving closer to the Jewish state as the Baku
government modernizes its military.
The burgeoning military and intelligence alliance between the countries
is causing growing concern in Iran, Azerbaijan's southern neighbor,
and in nearby longtime rival Armenia.
The Israeli Aerostar and Orbiter 2M UAVs are being manufactured by
Baku's Azad Systems Co., a joint venture between Azerbaijan's Defense
Ministry and Aeronautics Defense Systems of Israel.
That's the country's third largest UAV manufacturer after Israel
Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems.
Around 70 percent of the components are produced in Israel, the rest
in Azerbaijan.
Sixty of the drones are to be delivered to Azerbaijan's armed forces
by the end of the year, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance missions.
Azerbaijan's military already operates Elbit Systems' Hermes 450 and
IAI's Searcher reconnaissance drones, as well as some of Aeronautics
Defense Systems' Aerostar and Orbiter craft.
Azerbaijan Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov told the
Azerbaijan Press Agency earlier this month that Baku is considering
the production of missile-armed UAVs within the next two years,
a development guaranteed to deepen Iranian and Armenian concerns.
The UAV deal with Azerbaijan allows Israeli manufacturers to pick
up some of the slack that appeared when Israel's strategic military
alliance with Turkey collapsed in 2010.
APA reported that Aeronautics Defense Systems beat out several Turkish
defense firms, including TAI, Baykar Makina and Global Teknik, for
the UAV venture set up in March.
Azerbaijan, which lies in the energy-rich Caspian Basin, has oil
reserves of more than 1.2 billion barrels as well as 4.4 trillion
cubic feet of natural gas. It is one of Israel's largest suppliers
of crude oil.
Earlier this month, Israel's air force marked the 40th anniversary
of the formation of its first UAV unit, Squadron 200 at the Palmachim
Air Base on the Mediterranean coast south of Tel Aviv from where IAI
satellites are launched.
asbarez
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Israeli Aerostar Drone
BAKU (UPI)-Azerbaijan is expected to acquire 60 small Israeli-designed
unmanned aerial vehicles built under license in the oil-rich former
Soviet republic that's moving closer to the Jewish state as the Baku
government modernizes its military.
The burgeoning military and intelligence alliance between the countries
is causing growing concern in Iran, Azerbaijan's southern neighbor,
and in nearby longtime rival Armenia.
The Israeli Aerostar and Orbiter 2M UAVs are being manufactured by
Baku's Azad Systems Co., a joint venture between Azerbaijan's Defense
Ministry and Aeronautics Defense Systems of Israel.
That's the country's third largest UAV manufacturer after Israel
Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems.
Around 70 percent of the components are produced in Israel, the rest
in Azerbaijan.
Sixty of the drones are to be delivered to Azerbaijan's armed forces
by the end of the year, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance missions.
Azerbaijan's military already operates Elbit Systems' Hermes 450 and
IAI's Searcher reconnaissance drones, as well as some of Aeronautics
Defense Systems' Aerostar and Orbiter craft.
Azerbaijan Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov told the
Azerbaijan Press Agency earlier this month that Baku is considering
the production of missile-armed UAVs within the next two years,
a development guaranteed to deepen Iranian and Armenian concerns.
The UAV deal with Azerbaijan allows Israeli manufacturers to pick
up some of the slack that appeared when Israel's strategic military
alliance with Turkey collapsed in 2010.
APA reported that Aeronautics Defense Systems beat out several Turkish
defense firms, including TAI, Baykar Makina and Global Teknik, for
the UAV venture set up in March.
Azerbaijan, which lies in the energy-rich Caspian Basin, has oil
reserves of more than 1.2 billion barrels as well as 4.4 trillion
cubic feet of natural gas. It is one of Israel's largest suppliers
of crude oil.
Earlier this month, Israel's air force marked the 40th anniversary
of the formation of its first UAV unit, Squadron 200 at the Palmachim
Air Base on the Mediterranean coast south of Tel Aviv from where IAI
satellites are launched.