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AZERBAIJAN TO EXPAND PRODUCTION OF MILITARY DRONES
BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan
Global Insight
September 20, 2011
On 19 September the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) reported that the
Azerbaijani military will receive 60 Orbiter and Aerostar unmanned
vehicles (UAVs) by the end of 2011. The UAVs will be produced by an
Azerbaijani-Israeli joint venture (JV) set up in March by Azerbaijan's
Defence Industry Ministry and Israeli manufacturer Aeronautics UAV.
The news agency's report comes shortly after an Azerbaijani UAV
was shot down on 12 September by the ethnic Armenian armed forces
of Nagorno-Karabakh, which split from Azerbaijan back in 1988. The
Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Ministry publicised the photographs and
video of the downed UAV. The spokesperson for the Nagorno-Karabakh
president stated that it was carried out with radio-electronic devices.
It clearly showed that parts of the UAV were made by NovAtel company
and that it was of the Hermes type, most likely supplied by Israel to
Azerbaijan. Israel's Elbit received a contract in the second half of
2008 to supply at least 10 (some sources say 15) units of the Hermes
450 UAVs to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry denied the
news of its UAV being shot down but the APA report confirms that
Azerbaijan is continuing its rearmament project. Azerbaijani-Israeli
military relations have grown stronger over the years seeing a number
of lucrative, including military hardware supply and joint production
agreements signed during Israeli president Shimon Peres' official
visit to the Azerbaijani capital Baku in 2009. Azerbaijan supplies
up to 40% of Israeli oil demand through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline
via Turkey. In return, Israel supplies Azerbaijan with new military
technologies, including the UAVs, and is also upgrading Azeri army
battle tanks. Additionally, some media reports suggest that since
2005 Israel has supplied surface-to-air missiles, rocket launchers
and communications equipment to Baku.
Significance:Developing new military capabilities is at the top
of the Azerbaijani leadership's political agenda. President Ilham
Aliyev has repeatedly threatened to pull out from internationally
mediated peace process over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Bolstered
by energy-export-generated income Azerbaijan is gaining confidence
that it could force Nagorno-Karabakh under its control through
military force. Nagorno-Karabakh has reported an increased number of
sightings of Azeri UAVs over Nagorno-Karabakh in recent months. This
is a violation of the 1994 armistice and the Armenian government is
currently waiting for international mediators to visit the site of
the fallen UAV. While the production of surveillance UAVs is good
news for Azerbaijani military, the political implications could be
rather damaging. Should the violation of the armistice continue, this
is unlikely to persuade the international mediators to change their
position on the basic principles of the settlement of the conflict.
Meanwhile, both Azerbaijani and Israeli governments have been
unsuccessful in their efforts not to showcase their co-operation,
which is politically sensitive for Azerbaijani's ethnic kin Turkey
and also Azerbaijan's own mainly Muslim population. This could lead
to political repercussions for the current Azerbaijani government.
BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan
Global Insight
September 20, 2011
On 19 September the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) reported that the
Azerbaijani military will receive 60 Orbiter and Aerostar unmanned
vehicles (UAVs) by the end of 2011. The UAVs will be produced by an
Azerbaijani-Israeli joint venture (JV) set up in March by Azerbaijan's
Defence Industry Ministry and Israeli manufacturer Aeronautics UAV.
The news agency's report comes shortly after an Azerbaijani UAV
was shot down on 12 September by the ethnic Armenian armed forces
of Nagorno-Karabakh, which split from Azerbaijan back in 1988. The
Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Ministry publicised the photographs and
video of the downed UAV. The spokesperson for the Nagorno-Karabakh
president stated that it was carried out with radio-electronic devices.
It clearly showed that parts of the UAV were made by NovAtel company
and that it was of the Hermes type, most likely supplied by Israel to
Azerbaijan. Israel's Elbit received a contract in the second half of
2008 to supply at least 10 (some sources say 15) units of the Hermes
450 UAVs to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry denied the
news of its UAV being shot down but the APA report confirms that
Azerbaijan is continuing its rearmament project. Azerbaijani-Israeli
military relations have grown stronger over the years seeing a number
of lucrative, including military hardware supply and joint production
agreements signed during Israeli president Shimon Peres' official
visit to the Azerbaijani capital Baku in 2009. Azerbaijan supplies
up to 40% of Israeli oil demand through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline
via Turkey. In return, Israel supplies Azerbaijan with new military
technologies, including the UAVs, and is also upgrading Azeri army
battle tanks. Additionally, some media reports suggest that since
2005 Israel has supplied surface-to-air missiles, rocket launchers
and communications equipment to Baku.
Significance:Developing new military capabilities is at the top
of the Azerbaijani leadership's political agenda. President Ilham
Aliyev has repeatedly threatened to pull out from internationally
mediated peace process over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Bolstered
by energy-export-generated income Azerbaijan is gaining confidence
that it could force Nagorno-Karabakh under its control through
military force. Nagorno-Karabakh has reported an increased number of
sightings of Azeri UAVs over Nagorno-Karabakh in recent months. This
is a violation of the 1994 armistice and the Armenian government is
currently waiting for international mediators to visit the site of
the fallen UAV. While the production of surveillance UAVs is good
news for Azerbaijani military, the political implications could be
rather damaging. Should the violation of the armistice continue, this
is unlikely to persuade the international mediators to change their
position on the basic principles of the settlement of the conflict.
Meanwhile, both Azerbaijani and Israeli governments have been
unsuccessful in their efforts not to showcase their co-operation,
which is politically sensitive for Azerbaijani's ethnic kin Turkey
and also Azerbaijan's own mainly Muslim population. This could lead
to political repercussions for the current Azerbaijani government.