Adalayt Verdiyev, Military Expert
As a specialist and expert in the defense-industrial field, I regularly visit the ADEX exhibition. And I never regret taking the time to carefully study it over the course of several days. Here, I am interested both in weaponry produced by our domestic companies and in products presented by other countries, as well as their characteristics.
Of course, domestically produced weaponry attracts special attention. Today, Azerbaijan already produces weaponry worth about 1.4 billion manats. This is a quite significant figure that differs significantly from the indicators of previous years and demonstrates serious growth. Another issue that arouses my great interest is the new weaponry acquired by Azerbaijan, as well as the conclusion of contracts for its procurement and adoption into service.
I closely follow the information in the media, and I know that today three major missiles by Roketsan are presented at the exhibition: the ATMACA missile, the ÇAKIR missile, and the SOM missile. We acquired the SOM missile earlier, and yesterday contracts were signed for the procurement of two more missiles presented here — the ÇAKIR and the ATMACA. In parallel, we are also acquiring the platforms from which these missiles are launched. In other words, we continue to strengthen the capabilities of our coastal defense. We have already acquired the Barbaros coastal missile system from Turkey, from which ATMACA anti-ship missiles can be launched. On the other hand, Turkey plans to begin serial deliveries of new fighter jets in the next two years, which will subsequently be introduced into service. As is known, Azerbaijan has the opportunity to acquire weapon systems produced by Turkey, including receiving them among the first. Military conflicts continue in the world, and from time to time we see the activation of various threats in various regions.
Azerbaijan is consistently strengthening its positions in the global arms market as a state that has achieved significant success. The volume of domestic production is growing, and the number of our partners, friends, and allies is increasing. Today, we have no obstacles to further strengthening our defense potential. Along with the development of our own production, we are successfully developing partnerships with foreign countries. That is why the exhibition becomes larger-scale every year, and new pavilions are opening.
The organization of the exhibition is at a sufficiently high level — everything works very smoothly. The number of participants and visitors is increasing. In addition, here we see companies from many distant countries that have not previously participated in the exhibition. It is obvious that they are interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan. This cooperation can include various directions, including joint production and mutually beneficial partnership with Azerbaijan. The first-time participation of companies from the US also demonstrates interest in our country and a desire to expand cooperation in this area.
Strategic partnership with various countries undoubtedly has a positive impact on the development of cooperation in the defense industry sphere. The exhibition has just begun, so, presumably, today and tomorrow we will still witness the signing of many new contracts. In
terms of the scale of the agreements concluded, this exhibition has already entered the history of Azerbaijan as one of the largest.
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