The Azerbaijani Air Forces and Air Defense Troops (stylized as ), composed of the Azerbaijani Air Forces () and the Azerbaijani Air Defense Troops (), are the air and air defense service branch of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
History
The Azerbaijani Air Forces traces its origin to 1919 during the short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which had originally bought its first military aircraft on 26 June 1918. Following Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the former Soviet air bases in the country helped to develop the Air Forces and Air Defense Troops.
On February 11, 2009, the Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Rail Rzayev, was assassinated outside his home by an unidentified armed assailant. Rzayev had been reportedly negotiating closer ties with the United States regarding air force modernisation before his death, possibly including the acquisition of US fighter aircraft. He was succeeded by Major-General Altay Mehdiyev who was appointed the new Commander of the Air Forces on 12 May 2009.
Organization
Brinkster.net reported in October 2004 that the Azerbaijani Air and Air Defense Force comprised a fighter squadron at Nasosnaya Air Base with MiG-25PDs and training variants, a bomber aviation regiment at Kyurdamir with Su-17/24/25, MiG-21s, and L-29/39s, a transport aviation squadron at Ganja Airport with Il-76s(?), Аn-12/24, and Тu-134s, a helicopter squadron at Baku Kala Air Base with Mi-2/8/24s, two aircraft repair factories, and two air defense missile units. Other air bases include Dollyar Air Base (which Jane's Sentinel says is reported to be non-operational) Nakhchivan Airport in the Nakhchivan exclave, Sanqacal Air Base, and Sitalcay Air Base.
Air Defense Force
The Air Defense Force is a component of the Air and Air Defense Force of Azerbaijan. There are some installations of the Cold War era left by the Soviets in 1990.
Education
The Azerbaijan Higher Military Aviation School is the educational institution of the Azerbaijani Air Force and a branch of the education system of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. In 1997, the school graduated its first class of military pilots. By presidential decree of 24 December 2015, the school was abolished and transferred to the Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy with the establishment of the corresponding faculties there.
Azerbaijani pilots are trained at the Azerbaijan Air Force School and then develop their skills further within their units. Azerbaijan has an experience exchange with Turkey, the United States, Ukraine, and a number of other NATO countries. Turkish Air Force School plays a great role in the training of military pilots. The Azerbaijani pilots are also trained in Ukraine's Pilot Training School.
Infrastructure
The United States is the most active participant in the modernisation of Air Force airfields. Airfields in Gala and the Nasosnaya Air Base near Haji Zeynalabidin settlement have been modernised with US support as part of the Azerbaijan-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan. Special equipment were installed there to provide flight security. The starting command points, engineering control systems and engineering air force service were provided with new buildings. Negotiations over the modernisation of Kurdamir airfield are currently under way. An advanced Flight Control System has been installed at Dollyar Air Base with support from the United States.
Since September 2008, Turkey has helped to modernise the Air Force central command headquarters. According to a Turkish-Azerbaijani agreement, a NATO standard central command management center will be installed there. A great number of projects such as joint manufacture of unmanned aircraft will be implemented with Turkey in the near future.
The Gabala OTH Radar was operated by the Russian Space Forces. The radar station had a range of up to 6,000 kilometres (3,728 mi), and was designed to detect missile launches as far as from the Indian Ocean. It is not known whether Russia shared any of the radar's data with Azerbaijan. The equipment was dismantled and sent back to Russia after 2012.
In 2006, the US provided Azerbaijani military with additional radar installations. Plans were announced for the US to modernize one radar station near the Iranian border at Lerik and another near the border with Georgia at Agstafa. Joint work also commenced on two radar stations on the Russia-Azerbaijani border and Iran-Azerbaijani border to monitor Caspian Sea traffic.