Azerbaijani Air Force: history, description, interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Aviation is the pride of any state. Dominance in the air facilitates victory on the ground. In the Transcaucasian republics, one has to observe a clear advantage of the Azerbaijani Air Force.

Wings of the country

Structure

The Azerbaijani Air Force includes:

1. Mixed regiment - in the capital of Baku, the Kala air base and separate squadrons:

• fighter-bomber and training - n. village Kurdamir;
• fighter - Sumgayit city, Nasosnaya airbase;
• intelligence - Shamkhor regional center.

Airfields were equipped with concrete runways 2.5 thousand-3 thousand meters long.

Number of aircraft:

Airplanes
Purpose	Type	MIG					SU
		29	29UB	25P	25PD	25RB	17	24	25	25UB
Fighter	Bomber						5
	Multipurpose	14
	Combat training		2
	Interceptor			10	6
Bomber	Tactical Scout					4
	Front line							2
Stormtrooper	-/-								16
	Account-fighting.									3

MI Helicopters
	24	24G	2	8	17-1B
Shock multipurpose	26	12
Light transport			7
Traffic-fighting.				13
					20

2. Air defense units. Having radar stations, they are able to quickly control the sky and track the nearest neighbors in the border zone.

How it all began

In August 1991, the country collapsed, and in early September, Karabakh officially declared independence. Thanks to the collapse of the Union, the Transcaucasian republics replenished their own arsenals: they seized and stole the necessary weapons and equipment from the withdrawn units of the Russian army.

Where did aircraft come from

At this time, the nascent air force of Azerbaijan dramatically increased its combat potential. Before the collapse, there were four air regiments on the territory of the republic. The equipment was safely withdrawn, but something fell to the Azerbaijanis in a non-flying state and as a result of sabotage by Russian senior officers-traitors. At the Nasosnaya air defense airfield, Azerbaijanis received 30 high- altitude MIG-25 interceptors: the immoral work of the dirty hands of Colonel Vladimir Kravtsov, later the general and commander of the country's Air Force.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Plesh acted in a similar way in Dallar, later earning the position of squadron commander. The Azerbaijanis easily took five MiG-25s, a reconnaissance bomber, eleven Su-24s, a reconnaissance monoplane, and 4 Il-76s. At the same time, defective aircraft were repaired at airfields that were abandoned, and new ones were partially purchased.

Aviation in war

Gradually, the pilots of the former Soviet Air Force, not particularly burdened with conscience, who forgot about military honor and the oath of allegiance to the socialist Fatherland, gradually began to “pull themselves up”. The defectors formed the basis of the Azerbaijani Air Force and began to carry out combat sorties from the airfields of Dallyar and Kurdamir. During the hostilities, the mercenaries were shot down and killed or captured.

Twocrashed during combat training flights. The Su-24MR, a reconnaissance monoplane and the 25th, a reconnaissance bomber, went on the bombardment, and the SU-25s - interceptors - acted as a distraction. When they bought the MIG-21 and Su-twenty-fifths, these aircraft began to bombard. In 1993, they purchased Sukhoi-17M3. Temporary restoration of equipment was carried out at the aircraft repair plant in Pumping. The Azerbaijani Air Force did not have the necessary airfield logistics, navigation kits, sighting systems, ground equipment.

Combat casu alties

With a sharp increase in ground air defense in Karabakh, heavy damage to the republican air force began to increase. The summer campaign of 1993 can be called a disaster: seven districts were completely captured by the Armenians; only 11,000 servicemen were killed. The army was exhausted and demoralized. The losses of the Azerbaijani Air Force amounted to 10 aircraft and 10 rotorcraft: eight MI-24s, two - MI-8s. Colonel Kravtsov has been the aviation commander of the republic since July 1992.

A year later he was replaced by General Rail Rzayev - until his assassination in early 2009. Colleagues of the general from Soviet times working in air defense say that Rail Rzayev did not interfere in matters related to profit, a pure serviceman. As a leader, of course, he, on duty, delved into economic issues when necessary. The commander of one of the Air Force units was caught at the scene of a crime while selling fuel and lubricants, this caused an unprecedented stir.

Corruption

In the republic, a universal scandal erupted on this occasion, the senior authorities were blamed for the troubles. Rzaev was temporarily suspended, even the arrest of the commander of the Azerbaijani Air Force was simulated. The scam soon fell apart, and that was the end of the provocation. But they don't get killed for it. The point is different. At a court hearing, a colleague of the deceased suggested that the tragedy occurred due to a tender for fighter jets in 2007.

Before the assassination, the general wrote to the Ministry of Defense with a statement that he was being followed and asked for help. Rzayev warned: if they did not defend him, he would make public the circumstances of the auction. The Ukrainian side won, while Azerbaijan purchased 12 MiG-29s worth $27 million. As it turned out later, at an inflated price. Rather, Rail Rzayev became a victim of a banal “rollback.”

Expected

What is the Azerbaijani Air Force today? Fighter aviation of the country does not meet modern requirements. MIG-29 models need to be updated for a long time, the aircraft correspond to the "4" classification. States that can afford rearmament acquire devices of the 4+ and 4++ levels, and only certain countries purchase 5 products. A potential adversary, Armenia, has a solid air defense, so Azerbaijan will take this factor into account when purchasing new equipment. A serious circumstance is the fact that few people are ready to sell combat aircraft to a state with a territorial military conflict. Azerbaijan has already been refused when it intended to purchase Swedish fighters.

Russia also did not sell the MIG-35 "4++". A possible reason is that the Azerbaijani Air Force will dominate in the Transcaucasus, as opposed to Russia with aviation at the Armenian airfield. The Azerbaijani side does not stop searching. A variant is a fighter from China's Chengdu J-10B, which analysts see as "4++". Experts say that the device corresponds to foreign analogues of this class.

Combat aviation is applicable only on training grounds for training flight crews. To achieve a result, it is not necessary to shed the blood of civilians. There is no alternative to a round table for negotiations.