IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR!

The Azerbaijani Government has declared the establishment of a domestic defence industry to be its top priority over the next 10 years.  For almost 20 years now, our country has been the subject of military invasion by Armenia, and the aggressor enjoys active support from some major players in the international political arena, who supply Yerevan with modern armaments.  In the situation that has evolved, our state cannot rely exclusively on imports of armaments, both because this option is expensive and because the position of supplier states if the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resumed cannot be predicted.  Therefore, to fully guarantee Azerbaijan's national security, defence items must be produced in our country.

Defence order with 200% growth

In the five years since the creation of the Ministry of the Defence Industry of Azerbaijan, a huge amount of work has been done to radically modernize the specialized facilities in the country and to organize the production of advanced armaments, ammunition and hardware.  Without impressive success in this sector, it is simply impossible today to imagine proper guarantees of national security.  That is why it is unsurprising that the professional holiday of defence industry workers is celebrated every year on 17 December.

Within the framework of the state programme for development of the defence industry for the period to 2016, the Defence Industry Ministry is conducting the remodelling and re-equipment of industrial enterprises which were founded back in the Soviet era, changing their specializations to meet the needs of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.  For example, in December 2007, the modernized enterprises Peyk and Iglim Research and Production Association were brought into operation and, in June 2008, the Alov plant resumed work.  In March 2009, several new defence industry facilities were opened - a research institute with a test production facility, the Cihaz and a plant which manufactures electronic computing devices.  In the spring of 2010, the upgraded Dalga research enterprise and new production lines at the Ufug and Iglim enterprises, subsidiaries of the Sarq conglomerate, were launched.  In total, about 20 enterprises are involved in fulfilling state defence orders today.

"At present, the Defence Industry Ministry is completing the modernization of 10 enterprises which manufacture defence products and eight of these facilities will resume production in the near future.  The department has bought 535 machines and their installation is proceeding according to schedule," said Defence Industry Minister Yaver Camalov.  The statistics for growth in production output provided by the minister are impressive.  For example, in the last four years, more than AZN 414 million were allocated from the national budget to the Defence Industry Ministry; the new production facilities and the introduction of modern technologies resulted in 180% growth in defence production output, and a 46-fold increase in the production of military hardware specifically during the period from 2006 till 2009.  Already by mid-2010, the country had produced 413 different models of military hardware and ammunition, 6 times more than two years ago.  This trend will continue:  by the end of this year, in accordance with the state defence order programme, 108 new products will be brought into production, for an expenditure of AZN 82 million.  So this year defence industry output will increase by 220% compared to last year.

In the future, spending on the defence industry will increase even further:  the 2011 national budget earmarks AZN 1.239 billion for this purpose.  Overall, there are plans to allocate more than AZN 2.511 billion to the Army and supplies for the Army.

Only the best is selected for the military-industrial complex

In the last five years, Azerbaijan has begun to manufacture small arms, close-quarter combat weapons, small series artillery weapons and ammunition of different calibres and engineering, combat and training ordnance and special equipment for the military services and reconnaissance.  This year, the assembly of armoured personnel carriers also began and Defence Industry Ministry enterprises are commencing serial production of different models of mortars, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, optical scopes, collimator scopes, mines, artillery round stowage boxes, aviation bombs, training simulators for different types of firearms, tracks for tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, small-arms ammunition of different types, grenades and other products.

It is notable that Azerbaijan has not only begun a complete replacement of foreign military hardware, but is also acquiring the technology to manufacture weapons systems and supplies armaments designed entirely by Azerbaijani specialists.  Among them is the large-calibre (14.5 millimetre) sniper rifle Istiqlal.  Last year, production of a new 12.7-mm rifle began; its design was based on the Istiqlal, and next year, 23 and 30-mm sniper weapons will be added to the product range.  All these products have good export potential, in particular, licensed manufacturing of one version of the Istiqlal rifle is to begin in Turkey.

At the Africa Aerospace Defence 2010 defence show in September 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa, the Defence Industry Ministry exhibited yet another project by Azerbaijani engineers, the 60-mm Dual Purpose Mortar.  This short-barrelled, dual-purpose weapon is considered the most effective mortar for close-quarter combat and, thanks to its light weight, it is indispensible in the mountains.  Azerbaijan will start manufacturing yet another close-quarter combat weapon in the near future - a 40mm grenade launcher with revolver-type magazine and the ammunition for it, which will be manufactured with support from the Turkish company, Makina ve Kimya (MKEK).  In 2008, the Telemekhanika plant, which is under the Defence Industry Ministry's jurisdiction, and the MKEK company launched the joint production of cartridges for 5.45 and 7.62-mm rounds.  With support from the same company, the production of different types of electronics, night vision devices and other products will be organized in our country in the near future.

Relying on domestic resources

Overall, it would be hard to overestimate the support of Turkish enterprises in the development of Azerbaijan's defence industry.  Thanks to this type of cooperation, the Defence Industry Ministry began manufacturing three models of pistols -- Inam, Zafar and Zafar-K -- which meet NATO standards, and it is about to launch production of submachine guns for special operations.  And, for the civilian sector, the production of optical scopes and cartridges for shotguns has already started, and the production of 16- and 12-caliber smooth-bore guns will start next year.

New directions in the development of the country's military-industrial complex envisage the joint manufacture of 107-mm and 122-mm multiple rocket launchers by the Turkish company Roketsan and the Azerbaijani Research and Production Association Iglim.  According to the contract signed recently, the multiple launch rocket systems will be manufactured at the Iglim facility, and missile components will be made at a Roketsan plant in Turkey.  These solid-fuel-propelled missiles have very good aerodynamic performance characteristics, and their engines use smokeless synthetic fuel.  The 107-mm missile has an effective range of up to 11 kilometres, and the 122-mm missiles, which can carry two different types of warheads, can hit targets at distances of up to 40 kilometres.

The Turkish company Aselsan is working with the Defence Industry Ministry on projects to upgrade Azerbaijani armoured personnel carriers and installing modern optical devices, thermal TVs and computerized sights.  Yet another Turkish company, Yonca Onuk Ortakligi, is interested in shipbuilding projects in cooperation with Azerbaijan.  And before the end of this year, the production of camouflage nets will start at the Azon facility in cooperation with a Turkish manufacturer.  In the more distant future, the possibility of participation by the Turkish company in production of ATAK helicopters cannot be ruled out.

In cooperation with the South African company Paramount Group, production of the Matador and Marauder armoured personnel carriers with v-shaped hulls and improved protection against antitank mines, which enables them to survive explosions equivalent to 17 kilograms of TNT, was launched in Azerbaijan this year.  A mine explosion will only damage the wheels, while the crew is well-protected from both shrapnel and acoustic effects of the explosion.  At present, some 20 of these armoured vehicles have been assembled and sent to the Armed Forces.

At the same time, the Defence Industry Ministry's enterprises are working on upgrading the Soviet-era armoured hardware which still forms the core of the Azerbaijani Army's heavy armaments.  In particular, the T-55 and T-64 tanks, BTR-70 armoured personnel carriers and other armoured hardware models are undergoing upgrade, being equipped with modern electronics, night vision, navigation, communications and weapons systems.  Agreement has been reached with the Israeli company Elbit Systems, which upgrades the Azerbaijani T-72 tanks, on replacing fire control systems and adding explosive-reactive armour.  In the next few years, Azerbaijan plans to organize production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with Israel's support - today, these are the most effective tools of front-level reconnaissance and air strike weapons; they can easily penetrate enemy air defence systems.

The department's immediate plans include organizing production of multiple launch rocket systems, armoured hardware, helicopters, smalls arms, different types of guided ammunition (including air bombs) and other military-purpose and special equipment.  For this purpose, the Defence Industry Ministry has established ties with almost 60 companies in more than 20 countries, operating in the fields of aviation, navigation, instrument building and others.

Simultaneously with the broadening of the range of defence sector products, the Defence Industry Ministry is working on the production of new types of civilian-purpose products.  Defence facilities have started to manufacture well control equipment for the oil and gas industries, gas filling systems for terminals, automated information control systems, gauges and metering devices, perforators, tracks for tractors, mobile food thermoses, smart meters, digital traffic lights, batteries and so on.  This year alone, the ministry's enterprises produced civilian-purpose goods worth AZN 19.3 million.  A new area of work for the Defence Industry Ministry is the development of space technology and equipment in light of the recently approved State Programme for Development of the Space Industry in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the creation of a National Airspace Agency.

In short, in six or seven years' time our country will be fully set up to manufacture the main types of armaments, ammunition and technology-intensive equipment and release itself from dependence on imports, which is always very dangerous in this field.