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Further Reading

Azerbaijan Air Force

In 1994 estimated total troop strength had reached 56,000, of which 49,000 were in the army, 3,000 in the navy, 2,000 in the air force, and 2,000 in the air defense forces. The air force had forty-eight combat aircraft, and one helicopter squadron. Initially, much of the equipment and command and control systems were taken over from the former 19th Independent Air Defense Army, with only marginal upgrades to the network since independence.

The number of combat aircraft and attack helicopters that the Azerbaijan may have in its active inventory is constrained by the equipment ceilings of the CFE Treaty. Azerbaijan's national limits are 100 combat aircraft and 50 attack helicopters, both limits far exceed current holdings. By 2004 the joint air/air defense forces had about 7,900 personnel, and included a combination of combat assets to support both offensive and defensive air operations. The air element reports holdings of at least 47 combat aircraft and 15 attack helicopters. Although IISS reported only 47 combat aircraft, the country's CFE reporting listed 54 combat aircraft.

Along with the other aircraft not-reportable under CFE, the Air Forces are organized into five functional commands: a fighter ground-attack regiment; a fighter squadron; a transport squadron; a training unit; and a composite helicopter regiment. The air defense elements comprise fighter units (in their primary role, these units also are considered part of the offensive air element), surface-to-air gun/missile units, and air defense surveillance radar units.

The various air units included a mix of aircraft types because several of the legacy units were heavily attrited during the Mountainous Karabakh conflict, which claimed over 50 aircraft, including Mi-24 (Hind-attack helicopters), Mi-8 (support helicopters), Su-25 (Frogfoot close air support), MiG-25PB (Foxbat- reconnaissance, used as fighter-bombers) and L-29 (Delphin/Maya-armed trainers) aircraft.

The great portion of the Azerbaijani air forces are made up of a large number of soviet helicopters and MiG-25 aircrafts of various prototypes (nearly 30 units) which are meant to be used in aerial combat, as such they are not practical for use against ground troops. However, in the presence of a very small Armenian air force, the use of Azerbaijani MiG-25 and Su-27 (purchased from Kazakhstan a few years ago) interceptors in aerial combat are very limited in scope. But it is worth mentioning the presence of certain quantity of Su-25 and Su-24 bombers within the Azerbaijani air force. These are meant to be used as close air support for advancing ground troops. These types of aircraft have gained a good reputation in various wars of the 20th century and were commonly used by Azerbaijan in the Karabakh war from 1992-1994.

Azerbaijan signed an agreement with Ukraine on the purchase of 12 MiG-29 fighter jets, two MiG-29 UB and 12 E-39 jets in 2005. The Air Force and Air Defense Force of Azerbaijan acquired two squadrons of MiG-29 fighter aircraft from the Ukraine Air Force in 2007. By one report the purchase comprised 24 MiG-29 (or MiG-29S) fighters, mostly single-seat variants with some MiG-29UB two-seat trainer/combat variants. The Viyskovo-povitryani syly (Air Force of Ukraine) had some 190 MiG-29s of various models in its inventory, including the later-delivered "S" variant. The move confirmed a statement made In March 2007 by Lt.-Gen. Rayil Rzayev, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces and the Aircraft Defense Forces, that new fighters had been acquired, and that airfield upgrades were also to begin soon. On 29 January 2008 a MiG-29 from Azerbaijan's air force crashed into the Caspian Sea on Tuesday during a routine training mission, killing both crew members.

In 2007 the Air Force of Azerbaijan (by one count, 61 combat aircraft, 46 auxiliary aircraft) included a combined aviation regiment, a fighter and bomber squadron, and separate squadrons of fighters, reconnaissance planes, and training aircraft. Main airbases: Kyurdamir, Zeinalabdin (equipped with a NATO air traffic monitoring system), Dallyar, Gyandzha, Kala. The Air Defense Forces of Azerbaijan included four air defense brigades, one air defense regiment, and two separate radar battalions. They are equipped with S-200, S-125, S-75 (35 launchers), Krug, and Osa air defense systems.