The Azerbaijani Air Forces use mainly Soviet-made combat aircraft. However, most of the aircraft have been modernized and equipped with modern avionics. Currently, Azerbaijan is holding talks with several countries, including Pakistan and Russia, to purchase new-generation aircraft, but so far any aircraft purchase agreement had not signed. The Azerbaijani side is particularly interested in purchasing Sukhoi Su-35 and Mikoyan MiG-35 aircraft from Russia and CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan.^[1]

Azerbaijan's helicopter arsenal is more modern than in many post-Soviet countries. Thus, most of the helicopters have been upgraded, and a large number of new helicopters have been purchased in the last decade. Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of the number and use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A local factory producing UAVs has been operating in the country since 2011, and Azerbaijani UAVs have been successfully participating in active military operations for more than 10 years.

Most of the Soviet-made systems in the arsenal of air defense forces have also been replaced by modern ones, and Azerbaijan is ahead of most Eastern European and post-Soviet countries in terms of combat capability of air defense forces. Due to a large number of strategic facilities in the country, the Azerbaijani government is paying special attention to the purchase of modern air defense systems.

Su-25s of Azerbaijani Air Force

Aircraft

MiG-29s of Azerbaijani Air Force

Current inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Combat aircraft
MiG-29	Soviet Union	Multirole combat aircraft	14[2]	16 units were purchased from Ukraine.[3] 3 of them are used for training.[2]
Sukhoi Su-25	Soviet Union	Close air support aircraft	40[4][5]	In 2002, 16 SU-25s were purchased from Georgia,[6] in 2009-2012, 11 SU-25s were purchased from Ukraine and 11 SU-25 from Belarus.[7][8] However, one SU-25 crashed during the training. Another SU-25 was shot down in the 2020 Karabakh Conflict[3]
Trainer aircraft
Aero L-39 Albatros	Czechoslovakia	Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft	12[2]
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak	Pakistan	Trainer Aircraft	10[2]
Transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-76	Soviet Union	Strategic Airlifter	2[2]
Alenia C-27J Spartan	Italy	Transport aircraft		A contract was signed between Azerbaijan and Italy for the purchase of C-27J cargo aircraft.[9]

Retired aircraft

Aircraft	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25	Soviet Union	Interceptor aircraft	48[10][11]	after the collapse of the USSR, he received about 48 MiG-25s, these are MiG-25PD, MiG-25RB, MiG-25RU and PU. In June 1992, 9 pilots, with the help of the technical staff of the squadron of the air reconnaissance regiment, who refused to join the Azerbaijani army, were able to overtake 7 MiG-25RB aircraft and one MiG-25RU aircraft to Russia in order to prevent their capture by the rebels. Ground protection during the ferry was provided by a platoon of soldiers of the Russian Airborne Forces of one of the regiments based nearby. In 1998, 8 MiG-25s were purchased from Kazakhstan [73]. Removed from service and replaced with MiG-29M1. There are from 10 to 20 MiG-25s in storage. In February 2014, it was announced that the MiG-25 would be upgraded at a local aircraft repair plant and returned to the Azerbaijan Air Force. [74]
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21	Soviet Union	Interceptor aircraft	5[2]	Reportedly in active condition.
Sukhoi Su-17	Soviet Union	Fighter-bomber	5[11]
Sukhoi Su-24	Soviet Union	Attack aircraft	2[10]	As of November 2008, 11 Su-24s were in service in the Azerbaijani Air Force. As of 2013, 2 were active.
Antonov An-12	Soviet Union	Military transport aircraft	1[10]
Yakovlev Yak-40	Soviet Union	Regional jet	3[10]

Helicopters

Mil Mi-24G

Current inventory

Helicopter	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Attack helicopter
Mil Mi-35	Russia	Attack helicopter	24[12]
Mil Mi-24G SuperHind	South Africa  Ukraine  Azerbaijan	Attack helicopter	12[13]	"Mi-24G" is a special modification of the Mi-24 helicopters by the South African "ATE" company and the Ukrainian Luch Design Bureau for the Azerbaijani Air Force. The letter "G" in the name of the modification means "Night (in Azerbaijani: Gecə)" and indicates the operational capabilities of the helicopter during night times.
Mil Mi-24	Soviet Union	Attack helicopter	14[14][3]
Transport helicopter
Mil Mi-8/Mil Mi-17	Soviet Union  Russia	Transport helicopter	64[2]	Delivered in the years 2010-2014. 1 lost in 2020 Karabakh War likely not to enemy fire.[15]
McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender	USA	Transport helicopter|CSAR	1[14]
Bell 412	USA	Transport helicopter	2[2]
Bell 407	USA	Transport helicopter	1[14]
Kamov Ka-32	Russia	Naval warfare helicopter	4[2]

Retired inventory

Helicopter	Origin	Type	Amount	Notes
Mil Mi-2	Soviet Union	Light utility helicopter	7[14]

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Locally produced Aerostar UAV during the military parade in Baku, 2018

Current inventory

Vehicle	Origin	In service	Notes
Multi-mission unmanned aerial vehicles
Bayraktar TB2	Turkey	N/A[16]	Bought dozens in 2020. Actively used during July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes and 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
IAI Heron	Israel	5[17]
IAI Searcher	Israel	5[17]
Elbit Hermes 900	Israel	2[17]
Elbit Hermes 450	Israel	10[17]
Elbit Skylark	Israel	N/A[18]
ThunderB	Israel	N/A[18]
Aerostar	Israel  Azerbaijan	N/A[19]	Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 4	Israel  Azerbaijan	N/A[19]	Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 3	Israel  Azerbaijan	N/A[19]	Produced in Azerbaijan
Orbiter 2	Israel  Azerbaijan	N/A[19]	Produced in Azerbaijan
Loitering munition
Aerostat
Skystar	Israel	N/A

Air defense systems

S300PMU2 Favorite SAM in Baku

Current missile systems

System	Origin	Version	In service	Notes
Surface-to-air missile systems
Iron Dome	Israel		N/A	On 17 December 2016, Azerbaijan Defense Industry Minister Yavar Jamalov told reporters that Azerbaijan had reached an agreement with Israel to purchase Iron Dome batteries in the first confirmed foreign sale of the system. The country's acquisition of the system is believed to be related to neighboring Armenia's purchase of Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missiles.[20]
Barak 8	Israel  India	Barak-ER/LR	2 units, 80 missiles[17]
S-300	Russia	S-300PMU2 Favorit	2 units, 200 48N6 missiles[17]
S-200	Soviet Union		4 units[21]
S-125 Neva/Pechora	Soviet Union  Belarus	S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM-29	13 units[11]	Modernized by "Tetraedr" company of Belarus
Buk	Russia  Belarus	Buk-MB	3 units, 100 9M38 missiles, 100 9M317 missiles[17]	Modernized by Belarus
9K33 Osa	Soviet Union  Belarus	9K33-1T Osa-1T	N/A	Modernized by Belarus
T-38 Stilet	Belarus		2 units[22]
9K35 Strela-10	Soviet Union		54[11]
Anti-aircraft guns
ZSU-23-4 Shilka	Soviet Union		40[11]
ZU-23-2	Soviet Union		N/A
Man-portable air-defense systems
9K38 Igla	Russia	Igla-S	200 launchers, 1000 missiles[17]
9K34 Strela-3	Soviet Union		18[17]	Purchased from Ukraine
9K32 Strela-2	Soviet Union		N/A

Radar of S300PMU2 Favorite

Radars

System	Origin	Amount	Notes
EL/M-2080 Green Pine	Israel	N/A	[23]
LTR LANZA 3D	Spain	1[17]
EL/M-2106	Israel	2[17]
80K6M	Ukraine	1[17]
P-18 radar	Soviet Union	N/A
P-19 radar	Soviet Union	N/A
P-40 radar	Soviet Union	N/A

Retired missile systems

System	Origin	Version	Amount	Notes
S-75 Dvina	Soviet Union		N/A
2K12 Kub	Soviet Union		N/A
2K11 Krug	Soviet Union		27 launchers[11]
9K31 Strela-1	Soviet Union		N/A

References