Azerbaijan Signs Agreement With Turkish Company On Su-25 Modernization
Date
7/26/2023 10:06:03 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews) The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry and Turkish company TUSAŞ have
signed an agreement on the modernization of Su-25 attack aircraft, Azernews reports.
The signing ceremony was held within the framework of the 16th
International Defence industry exhibition "IDEF-23" in Istanbul,
APA's correspondent in Istanbul reports.
The document was signed by Deputy Minister of Defence of
Azerbaijan - Head of the Main Department of Military-Technical
Supply Agil Gurbanov and General Manager of TUSAŞ Temel Kotil.
Azerbaijan Expands Military Ties with Turkiye, Signs Agreement
on Su-25 Modernization
Azerbaijan has significantly increased its military ties with
Turkiye in recent years, culminating in the signing of the Shusha
Declaration on Allied Relations between the two countries. As part
of this agreement, Azerbaijan has signed an agreement with a
Turkish company to modernize its fleet of Su-25 Frogfoot attack
aircraft.
The Turkish defense industry is integrating precision ammunition
and undertaking structural and avionic upgrades to the Su-25s. This
includes the integration of the Winged Guidance Kit (KGK) developed
by TÜBİTAK-SAGE, which was recently tested with success. The KGK-83
has a maximum range of 60 nautical miles (110km+) when launched
from a high altitude, and a maximum range of 20 nautical miles
(37km+) when launched from a low altitude.
The modernization project is expected to boost the export
potential of the Su-25s and is part of a larger effort to integrate
NATO-standard national ammunition into the Soviet-origin aircraft.
The project is expected to be completed in the near future, with
Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov observing the
shooting.
Turkiye has also helped Baku modernize its Su-25s to make them
compatible with Turkish and locally-made armaments, including
Turkiye's SOM cruise missile. In September-October of 2022, there
were rumors that Turkiye had planned to buy 50 Su-25s built by the
Republic of Georgia. Georgia has ambitious plans to build a brand
new Su-25 variant without any Russian components called the Ge-31
Bora, and Azerbaijan could finance the project and contract Tbilisi
Aircraft Industries to build a Ge-31 variant to its
specifications.
Overall, Azerbaijan's agreement with a Turkish company to
modernize its Su-25s is part of a larger effort to expand its air
force with affordable acquisitions from neighboring Turkiye and
Georgia. This could include the Hürkuş, Hürjet, M-346, JF-17
Thunder, and possibly even the Ge-31 Bora. Such an arrangement
could work out for everyone involved, providing Azerbaijan's air
force with a fleet of factory-fresh attack jets and Georgia the
money it needs to make the Ge-31 a tangible reality, while also
providing Turkiye's arms industry with yet another lucrative
contract.
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