Azerbaijani defense industry minister: We have launched production of unmanned aerial vehicles

APA: The employees of Azerbaijan’s defense industry will mark their professional holiday on December 17. What has the Ministry of Defense Industry achieved within the last four years?

Yavar Jamalov: As to work of the ministry that I have led for the last four years, I can say that defense industry was established in Azerbaijan within the past four years. Thanks to the attention and care of the head of state, a number of facilities have been established and supplied with modern equipment. Cooperation has been established with about 60 companies of 20 countries in aviation, navigation, instrument-making and other spheres. Old equipment has been updated, hundreds of new machines have been bought. A total of 21 facilities have been reconstructed within the reporting period. For the first time in the international practice defense industry has been established within four years and participated in the exhibitions abroad. In a short timeframe we demonstrated 27 kinds of defense products, small arms, bullets, air bombs and munitions in the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul. Even the developed countries took interest in our products. We are having talks with these countries on purchase and sale. Talks with a Turkish company have ended and a contract has been signed. According to the contract, we will sell 30 million 7.62mm caliber munitions to that company.

What are your plans for the coming years?

We plan to overhaul 12 areas of production, buy modern technologies from developed countries for production of 8 kinds of defense products in 2010. Moreover, we are having talks to buy new technologies to produce 5-6 kinds of products in the second half of next year.

What is the share of the defense industry in non-oil sector? How much will this sector increase in near future?

I can say that the share of non-oil sector is increasing year-after-year. Great improvements are expected in this field in near future. It is early to predict figure of growth of this production. But I can say that there will be significant improvements.

The production of new vehicles has started this year within the cooperation with Paramount Group of the Republic of South Africa. Will the cooperation with this company continue?

We have high-level relations with the Paramount Group. Together with this company we have started producing 30 Matador and Marauder armoured mine protected vehicles. In the first half of next year these vehicles will be delivered to the Defense Ministry. I believe our cooperation will continue in future.

In the Soviet times “Iglim” and “Aviaagregat” plants, which are now subordinated to the Ministry of Defense Industry, produced important parts for the air industry. Is Azerbaijan using its potential now? Do you plan to produce military aircrafts and helicopters on basis of these facilities in future?

Spare parts for Azerbaijani aviation are being produced in these facilities. If they are effective, this kind of projects may be implemented in future. We have also started work on production of unmanned vehicles. I think this project will be implemented in 2010.

Azerbaijani government and a Singaporean company have recently signed a memorandum on the construction of shipbuilding plant near Baku. Will some navigation systems produced in Azerbaijani defense industry facilities be used in the construction of ships in this plant?

Navigation systems are produced in some of our facilities. We have enough practice and potential in this field. This company will mainly produce civilian ships. If it is planned to produce warships, we will participate in these projects.

“Istiglal” sniper rifle demonstrated in IDEF exhibition attracted attention. Do you plan to modernize Azerbaijan’s first national weapon, and produce new small arms?

“Istiglal” sniper rifle that we demonstrated in IDEF exhibition is 14.5mm caliber. On the basis of this weapon, we have started producing IST 12.7, i.e. 12.7mm caliber model. We plan to produce 23mm and 30mm caliber sniper rifles in 2010-2011. These will be purely national products worked out by the local specialists. We have already begun producing “Inam”, “Zafar”, “Zafar-K” pistols, telescopes, cartridges for sporting guns meeting NATO standards.

There were some reports that a project was being work out on establishing new vehicles on the basis of  Soviet-era PDM and T-55 tanks. What can you say about it?

We have begun modernizing Soviet-era vehicles and producing new vehicles on their basis. A number of military bodies of Azerbaijan have given five kinds of vehicles to us to modernize them.

/APA/