Baku aims to become regional arms dealer

With energy exports providing plenty of spare cash, Azerbaijan is taking steps to produce Israeli-designed spy planes in a bid to become a major regional arms exporter, according to local analysts.

"Georgia, Central Asian and some Arab countries have a shortage of such planes," Mil.az news agency Editor-in-Chief Jasur Sumarinly recently told EurasiaNet.org. "If the tests are successful and Baku can offer a good price for them, demand for Azerbaijani-made drones could be high."

The Israeli-licensed Orbiter-2M pilotless spy plane, or drone, is capable of flying non-stop for five hours at an altitude of four to six kilometers; another model, the Aerostar, can fly for 12 hours at an altitude of 10 kilometers. Both types of aircraft will be manufactured at the government-owned AZAD Systems Company plant near Baku, EurasiaNet reported.

Azerbaijani-made prototypes are expected to undergo testing for up to two years, and full-scale production will not begin before 2013 under the existing timetable. The Azerbaijani military already uses 10 Israeli-built models of the drones, according to Sumarinly.

The initiative is seen as a critical strategic element in Azerbaijan’s ongoing efforts to regain control over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Having such aircraft is important for gaining military superiority over Armenia,”"said Uzeir Jafarov, a colonel in the army reserves. "It is an irreplaceable armament for intelligence purposes in Nagorno-Karabakh now, and, in case of conflict, for the precise identification of the location, readiness and number of enemy troops."

Other motivations are also involved. Israeli arms interest Azerbaijani officials because “the country’s military needs are largely ignored by Russia, Europe and the United States due to the Karabakh conflict,” according to an alleged cable prepared by the U.S. Embassy in Baku in 2009 and posted on the WikiLeaks website.

Azerbaijani diplomats and military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told EurasiaNet.org that Baku wants to become more self-reliant in terms of weaponry. The chief concern among Azerbaijani military planners is that supplies of military equipment from Russia and/or the West could cease in the event that the Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia reignites.

Baku is also entertaining notions of export earnings. If proven successful, Azerbaijan’s Israeli-designed drones could help the country emerge as a regional arms dealer, said Sumarinly.

The Israeli embassy has declined to comment on the topic. There is also no indication that there have been any drone orders from other countries.

Baku’s military production plans do not stop at drones. The Defense Industry Ministry, or MDI, has been in talks with various Israeli defense firms and two Turkish companies about the production of an armored vehicle based on the Russian T-55 tank’s chassis, according to Sumarinly. MDI representatives, however, declined to comment on the reports.

Citing unnamed military sources, the pro-government APA news agency reported in February that MDI would provide 30 South African-designed Matador and Marauder armored vehicles for the army. The vehicles are designed to be mine resistant and can be used to transport troops or used for other tasks in urban settings.

The country is also said to be looking at investments in planes; in March, President İlham Aliyev was shown a prototype of an Austrian-designed four-seater known as the Diamond DA-42 military passenger plane. The plane is assembled by AZAD Systems, an Azerbaijani state-owned firm.

In addition, the newly opened Sayayedzhihaz plant in Baku is set to manufacture mobile mini-bakeries and mini-kitchens as well as a mobile water purifier station.

Overall, Azerbaijani military production more than doubled between 2009 and 2010, and the product line expanded by 17 percent, according to MDI. No breakdown of expenditures is publicly available for MDI apart from a general budget line item for military spending, which accounts for a whopping 19.6 percent of Azerbaijan’s 2011 budget, or $3.1 billion.

To show off its goods, Azerbaijan took part in Abu Dhabi’s IDEX-2011 international arms trade show this February, and, since last year, has taken part in arms fairs in Jordan, Poland and South Africa.

Some 71 types of Azerbaijani-made armaments were reported to be on display at the IDEX show, according to MDI – ranging from sniper rifles to mortars. No sales figures have been disclosed.

At present, national pride, more than a quest for profits, appears to be driving efforts to build up Azerbaijan’s defense sector.

"A few years ago, we did not have any military production, but now it is booming," Aliyev said during a government meeting in early March.

He also praised the five-year-old MDI as creating a model that other government agencies could emulate.

On March 15, Prime Minister Arthur Rasizade told Parliament that Azerbaijan had become “a leader in the South Caucasus” for arms production, with supposedly 350 different types of armaments and related equipment being produced.

Sumarinly, however, said only Azerbaijani-made bullets and cartridges had so far been given to the army. "All the rest … are at a testing stage."

Time could prove the ultimate test for the armaments’ value, said the analyst.

"MDI has nice PR, but not only the quantity of products produced is important; their quality is, too," he said.


/Hurriyet Daily News/