Baku. Rashad Suleymanov - APA. Azerbaijan, which has considerably increased defense expenditures in the past 10 years, is implementing a number of programs to stregthen the armory of the army with new fighter jets, helicopters, combat vehicles, modern and long-range pieces of ordnance. As the head of state underlined, Baku, which is improving the arming tendency, has achieved to change in its favor the balance of forces with Armenia. Even despite Russia’s disinterested aids to this country...
Azerbaijan mostly purchases rocket-artillery
According to APA’s studies, in 2001-2011, Azerbaijan mostly purchased rocket-artillery. The studies reveal that Azerbaijan outpaced Armenia twice for the number of the long-range pieces of ordnance. In case of military operations the new pieces of ordnance purchased and demonstrated by Baku in the recent years will enable to shoot down the strategic facilities of the enemy deep inside the front.
According to reports, Azerbaijan will purchase longer-range missiles in the coming years. The new missiles will enable the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to shoot down the enemy’s targets even at the distance of hundreds of kilometers.
The Ministry of Defense Industry plans to take certain steps in this sphere in the near future. Work is being continued on the projects on the production of 60mm and 82mm mine throwers, 107mm multiple-rocket launchers, 105mm howitzers, 57mm and 122mm multiple-rocket launchers and their munitions.
Ordnance in Karabakh
Azerbaijan and Armenia used enough ordnance during the first Karabakh war.
During Karabakh battles Azerbaijani artillerists mainly used 122mm BM-21 Grad, various howitzers, mine throwers. The Azerbaijani Army has used 12 and 24 barreled Grad multiple rocket launcher systems produced at the local facility for the first time against Armenian armed forces in Gulustan area. More than 100 Armenian militants gathered in Shaumyankend region were killed when the system was used first. As a result of the accurate strikes launched by the 760th military brigade from Gubadli region to the military unit of the Armenian army in the center of Gorus region, more than 300 servicemen of the enemy were killed.
The Azerbaijani artillery has played a significant role in the battles in the direction of Gazakh region in 1992, in Horadiz operation in January-May, 1994, in Terter protection operation and in the direction of Aghdam region. It was broadly covered by the Armenian media.
According to the experts, the rocket-artillery systems, military aviation and light-weight, highly-maneuverable combat vehicles will play a significant role in the second war, which will be started in Karabakh. If we take into consideration the statistics on weapons acquisition over the last ten years, it can be clearly seen in Azerbaijan’s orders.
According to the Armenian and Russian experts, the Azerbaijani army will start the military operations by striking to destroy the main strategic facilities of the enemy in the deep inside of frontline by long-range artillery. It includes the destruction of the main dry roads Lachin corridor and Zod-Aghdara road connecting Armenia and Karabakh and vital communications systems. In this case, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces will widely use drones and the other reconnaissance vehicles. The Azerbaijani Amy launched artillery strikes in tactical trainings of combined arms in 2009, 2010 and 2012 by using the drones.
According to the military experts, the artillery systems such as "Smerch" 2S7 "Pion", M-46, 2A36 "Hyacinth", T-122 «Sakarya», Lynx Extra and Lynx Extra included in military arsenal of Azerbaijan pose a potential threat for the Armenian forces. These systems will destroy the reinforced positions the Armenian army in the forward and rear echelons in a sudden attack. The Armenian experts claim that during the military operations, the Azerbaijani side will use long-range reactive fire systems, possessing high destructive power, in high-density areas of Nagorno Karabakh for creating psychological tension between civilians and servicemen.
It is reported that Armenians have more than 70 artillery systems in the direction of Aghdara, 20 in Kalbajar, 45 in Fuzuli, 45 in Aghdam and 50 in Khojavand.
More than 450 systems in 10 years
According to the reports made by the organizations such as SIPRI, Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT) and the analysis of the data submitted to the UN Register of Conventional Arms by arms-exporting countries, Azerbaijan purchased more than 450 rocket and artillery systems with various calibers in 2001-2011.
It includes about 120 of them are large caliber mine throwers, 70 – reactive artillery systems, 3 Tochka-U missile systems in “ground to ground”, more than 100 self-propelled artillery systems and various towed howitzers.
APA reports that despite the different geography in the armament of Azerbaijan’s artillery, Ukraine and Israel taken priority positions in this sphere over last ten years. Azerbaijan purchased 310 artillery systems of various calibers from Ukraine and 50 from Israel in the reporting year. The orders were also continued in 2012.
During the reporting year, Azerbaijan purchased 24 artillery systems Smerch (2004-2011), 4 - 9R129-1M Tochka-U complexes (2008), 54 - 2S1 Gvozdika (Carnation), 16- 2S3 Acacia systems (2008 -2010), 127 - D-30 (2002-2007), 85 - 120 mm PM in mortars’ type RM-38 (2005-2006) from Ukraine, 30 - 120 mm howitzers D-30 (2010), 12 - Pion self-propelled artillery guns (2008-2009) Belarus, 36 – M-46 howitzers (2010) from Bulgaria, 10 – 128 mm caliber RAK-12 reactive fire systems (2010) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, LAR-160 and Lynx Grad reactive fire system, Atmos-2000 howitzer, Cardom automatic mortar from Israel, more than 20 2S9 Nona-S self-propelled mortar systems (2004) from Russia, 107 and 122 caliber reactive fire systems from Turkey.
T-155 Fırtına (Storm) self-propelled howitzer ordered from Turkey in the recent years is also expected to be included in the military arsenal. The Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) of Turkey said that the problem with the engine, which prevented the sale of the system to Azerbaijan, has been already solved. Supplying the Fırtına with engine, German MTU company, basing on the conflict with Armenia, announced that it would not provide self-propelled howitzers ordered by Azerbaijan with engine and the fulfillment of the order delayed. Though the details were not made public, the problem has been already been solved positively. It is reported that Azerbaijan plans to purchase 36 T-155 Fırtına (Storm) self-propelled howitzers from Turkey.
Technical capabilities of the artillery systems purchased by Azerbaijan over the last ten years
As a result of the study conducted by APA, 55 percent of the artillery systems, purchased by Azerbaijan in the reporting year, made rocket-artillery weapons with a range 40-150 km, 22 percent - with a range of 20-40 km, the rest - with a range of 20 km.
12 2S7 Pion 203-mm self-propelled guns purchased from Belarus have the ability to destroy hardened targets, bases and manpower of the enemy at a distance of 50 km. towed howitzers M-46 purchased by Azerbaijan from Bulgaria are considered as long-range howitzers, which were widely used in the member countries of the Warsaw Pact. The firing range of these howitzers is more than 27 km.
24 artillery systems Smerch purchased from Ukraine provided the Azerbaijani Armed Forces with additional strength to destroy long-ranges targets. Smerch systems, included in the military arsenal of 7 countries in the post-Soviet area, have great destructive power to destroy the entire infrastructure of the enemy at a distance of 80 km. Note that there are no LAR-160, Lynx Grad reactive fire systems, 2S7 Pion 203-mm self-propelled guns, M-46 howitzers and Smerch systems in the arsenal of the Armenian army. Despite the fact that the WM-80 systems manufactured in China exist in arsenal of the Armenian Army and are considered the Chinese version of the Smerch systems, but it lags behind them in many ways.
Currently, long-range fire support of the Azerbaijani Army is being provided with Tochka-U missile systems and LAR-160 systems produced in Israel. These systems have already proven themselves in practice and are accepted by leading countries. During the test firing in Azerbaijan, Smerch and LAR-160 systems accurately destroyed with the targets guided by missiles.
The occupied territories, including all the objects of the Armenian army in Nagorno Karabakh are under the control of the artillery systems of the Azerbaijani Army. The main factor that prevents attempts to resume flights to Khojaly airport is the possibility of destruction of the airport by a multiple-rocket launcher of the Azerbaijani Army.
|
Type |
Azerbaijan |
Armenia |
|
Towed systems |
585 |
395 |
|
D-30 |
195 |
171 |
|
D-20 |
30 |
34 |
|
D-1 |
- |
2 |
|
D-44 |
72 |
|
|
MT-12 |
85 |
|
|
M-46 |
36 |
|
|
2A36 Giatsint-B |
32 |
135 |
|
ML-20 |
|
53 |
|
Self-propelled systems |
138 |
38 |
|
2S1 Gvozdika |
80 |
10 |
|
2S3 Acacia |
20 |
28 |
|
2S7 Pion |
12 |
no |
|
2S9 Nona-S |
26 |
no |
|
SOLTAM Atmos |
owns |
no |
|
SOLTAM Cardom |
owns |
no |
|
Multiple-rocket launcher |
More than 130 |
99 |
|
BM-21 Grad |
60 |
91 |
|
9A52 Smerçh/ WM-80 |
24 |
8 |
|
9K57 Uragan |
4 |
no |
|
RAK-12 |
10 |
no |
|
Lynx Extra |
owns |
no |
|
Lynx Grad |
owns |
no |
|
T-122 |
owns |
no |
|
LAR-160 |
owns |
no |
|
107 mm RAS |
owns |
owns |
|
|
|
no |
|
Tactical missile complex |
4 |
12 |
|
Toçhka-U |
4 |
4 |
|
9K72 Elbrus |
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
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