Azeris Acquire Israeli-Made Drones

BAKU —Azerbaijan is expected to acquire 60 small Israeli-designed unmanned aerial vehicles built under license in the oil-rich former Soviet republic that’s moving closer to the Jewish state as the Baku government modernizes its military. The burgeoning military and intelligence alliance between the countries is causing growing concern in Iran, Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor, and in nearby longtime rival Armenia. The Israeli Aerostar and Orbiter 2M UAVs are being manufactured by Baku’s Azad Systems Co., a joint venture between Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry and Aeronautics Defense Systems of Israel. That’s the country’s third largest UAV manufacturer after Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems. Around 70 percent of the components are produced in Israel, the rest in Azerbaijan. Sixty of the drones are to be delivered to Azerbaijan’s armed forces by the end of the year, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Azerbaijan’s military already operates Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 and IAI’s Searcher reconnaissance drones, as well as some of Aeronautics Defense Systems’ Aerostar and Orbiter craft. Azerbaijan Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov told the Azerbaijan Press Agency earlier this month that Baku is considering the production of missile-armed UAVs within the next two years, a development guaranteed to deepen Iranian […]
Azeris Acquire Israeli-Made Drones