"Thunder" in the Transcaucasian sky: Azerbaijan is stocking up on fighter jets

Azerbaijan adopts multi-purpose fighters of Pakistani-Chinese production. During the ADEX 2024 defense exhibition, President Ilham Aliyev inspected the JF-17 Block III Thunder ("Thunder") on September 25, the newest modification of the family of these combat vehicles.

The report of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) said that the aircraft has already been included in the arsenal of the Air Force of the Transcaucasian republic. Pakistani sources confirmed the deal on fighters worth $ 1.6 billion.

Features of the JF-17 Block III include a KLJ-7A AESA radar, Chinese WS-13 turbofan engines instead of Russian RD-93, expanded use of composite materials in the design and a combination of Chinese and Pakistani ammunition. Ammunition/external sensor options include PL-15E BVRAAM, PL-10E WVRAAM, IREK guided bomb, Al-Batter laser-guided bomb, Raad-2 cruise missile and ASELPOD sighting container.

The Chinese "stuffing" makes the aircraft a strike platform claiming to be the "4.5" generation.

Azerbaijan became the first foreign customer of the third version of the Pakistani-Chinese development. It is believed that the parties reached final agreements in November 2023, when the commander of the Pakistani Army, General Syed Asim Munir, visited Baku and was received by President Ilham Aliyev. This "non-protocol" meeting, according to Pakistani analysts, was a clear sign that a major arms deal was brewing.

The JF-17 Block III is known for its versatility in air-to-air and air-to-surface missions, and is highly maneuverable at medium and low altitudes. The maximum flight range is 3,500 km, the combat radius is 1,200 km, and the practical ceiling is 16700 m. The maximum speed of the combat vehicle is 1,910 km/h.

The manufacturers are the Chinese Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) and the Pakistan Aviation Complex (PAC). The JF-17 Block III is often referred to as the evolution of the Chinese J-7 platform (a copy of the Soviet MiG-21).

The latest version of the JF-17 was recently spotted equipped with China's most advanced air-to-air missile, which is also used by the J-20 stealth aircraft of the PRC Air Force. According to military experts, this strike system will give jointly developed by China and Pakistan fighter has an advantage over its counterparts in aerial combat and will make it one of the best in the world in its class.

The official sources do not specify in what quantity and combat equipment the aircraft will be delivered to Azerbaijan. The above transaction amount ($ 1.6 billion) suggests the supply of up to 30 fighter-bombers, taking into account open source data on the cost of one JF-17 Block III. Iraq recently expressed interest in buying 12 Thunderbolts for $664 million, which corresponds to about $55 million per unit.

It is expected that Baku will receive the last batch of combat vehicles by the end of 2027.

Azerbaijan has not slowed down the pace of its militarization following its successful 44-day war in Karabakh in the autumn of 2020. On the contrary, over the past four years, as Ilham Aliyev often emphasizes, the Azerbaijani army has strengthened even more. Active purchases of manned and unmanned aerial attack, reconnaissance, military transport and combat training platforms play an important role in this. The main partners of the republic in the modernization of its air Force are Turkey, Italy and Pakistan. Israel is Azerbaijan's main foreign partner in the supply and localization of the production of combat drones.

According to the results of the 44-day war, Azerbaijani experts noted that the military aviation market is very specific and politicized, which seriously limits Azerbaijan's choice regarding the purchase of multi—purpose fighters. How serious is a moot point. However, this politicization has found its vivid manifestations: Turkey and Pakistan is the closest military allies of Azerbaijan, Italy and Israel are the largest buyers of oil produced in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea.

In June last year, it became known that Azerbaijan was buying military transport aircraft from Italy. The Ministry of Defense of the Transcaucasian Republic has signed a contract with a southern European country for the supply of C-27J Spartan aircraft.

In October 2021, Lieutenant General Ramiz Tairov, who held the post of commander of the Azerbaijani Air Force at that time, told reporters that Baku would purchase new aircraft in the near future. Among the most likely partners in the replenishment and modernization of the republic's fleet, the Pakistani-Chinese tandem with its JF-17 and Russia, which can offer its southern neighbor MiG and Su combat vehicles. However, the special military operation that began in February 2022 on Ukraine has made serious adjustments. The Russian military-industrial complex is focused on strengthening directly The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, previously signed foreign contracts are not executed on a residual basis, but with a significant eye on their own needs and the consequent revision of previously announced deadlines for the execution of arms deals.

The Su-25 attack aircraft and MiG-29 front—line fighters currently in service with the Azerbaijani Air Force are aircraft of the last quarter of the 20th century. Baku undertook to modernize the first ones in cooperation with Turkey, and not their manufacturer, Russia.

There was talk that for such a relatively small country as Azerbaijan, the Russian MiG-35 fighter-bomber, a modification of the MiG—29 already in service with the Azerbaijani Air Force, might be suitable. But the matter has not progressed beyond discussions at the expert level.

According to some military experts, the acquisition by Azerbaijan of the JF-17 Block III can be a qualitative leap forward compared to the current fleet of the republic and even "change the nature of air combat in the Caucasus." The fighter is equipped with a KLJ-7A X-band radar with an active 3D electronic scanning array (AESA). The newest version of this radar allows the pilot to capture multiple targets at a distance of more than 150 km. The aircraft is capable of carrying long-range guided missiles (220-300 km), such as the PL-15, which change the profile of the platform. According to the former deputy commander of the Pakistan Air Force, Said Khan, "close air combat is no longer a subject of comparison between fighters, since today it is not Fox 1 (semi-active radar guidance) or 2 (infrared homing) that are important, but Fox 3 (active radar homing) that will decide the fate of the battle."

It is important to note that the JF-17 Block III was developed based on the experience of fighting the Indian Air Force and Air Defense. Pakistani pilots mainly faced Indian and, to a lesser extent, Iranian (potential) opponents, gaining experience in fighting French and Russian fighters, but also dealing with a number of Indian and Russian air defense systems. There are analogies between the traditional regional confrontations — Islamabad with New Delhi and Baku and Yerevan. After a 44-day war, Armenia has set its sights on Indian weapons, including anti-aircraft missile systems. The experience of the protracted Indo-Pakistani battle in South Asia in the weapons context is now transferred to the South Caucasus.

It is noteworthy that by denying Armenia the right to modernize its armed forces by purchasing defensive and strike systems from France, India and other manufacturers, Azerbaijan itself demonstrates impressive rates of replenishment of its fleet of military equipment and armaments arsenals. Yerevan's arguments that its active arms purchases are strictly defensive in nature are ignored by Baku. According to Armenian military experts, this creates an information and propaganda ground for new offensive operations of the Azerbaijani troops in order to "put the squeeze on Armenia at the negotiating table and convert its current clear military advantage into diplomatic acquisitions. The post-war imbalance "on the ground" between the two Transcaucasian republics is actually significant. Yerevan needs urgent measures to align it and reach the maximum possible military parity with Baku.

One way or another, but the military-political situation in the region, where the peace process continues (simulated or real by Azerbaijan is a big question), remains under constant tension. A major deal on Pakistani-Chinese fighter jets is a vivid evidence of this. Baku does not intend to abandon the forceful style of doing business with Yerevan, the regular statements of the Azerbaijani leadership that the Armenian side has "revanchist" plans give every reason to assume that the road to peace will not be easy.