Turkey-Backed Azerbaijan Buys 24 JF-17 Jets, India’s Ally Armenia Faces New Air Threat

Baku: Azerbaijan, which has been embroiled in a long-standing conflict with Armenia, has taken a big step to increase the strength of its Air Force. Azerbaijan has decided to buy Chinese JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter aircraft. Azerbaijan has currently made a deal for 24 new jets. This entire deal is for the purchase of a total of 40 jets for $ 4.2 billion. If Azerbaijan uses these aircraft against its opponent Armenia, then it may have to face India's Akash air defense system. India has sold its Akash system to Armenia. Armenia has weapons from India to counter the weapons received by Azerbaijan from Pakistan, Turkey and China.

The Bulgarian Military Post report says that Azerbaijan had signed a deal for 16 JF-17 Thunder Block III jets in February 2024. The deal was worth $1.6 billion. Now a deal for 24 more aircraft has been signed between the two countries. The JF-17 jet has been jointly manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China's Chengdu Industry Group. It is cheaper than Western aircraft like the F-16 or Eurofighter Typhoon and is easy to maintain. In such a situation, Azerbaijan has bought it.

How powerful is the JF-17

The JF-17 fighter jet is claimed to be a single-engine, multirole fighter aircraft. Its length is 14.93 meters. It is equipped with Russia's RD-93MA turbofan engine, which takes it to a speed of 1.6 Mach and an altitude of 50,000 feet. This jet is equipped with KLJ-7A Active Electronically Scanned Array [AESA] radar, which helps it track targets far away.

The JF-17 Thunder Block-III has avionics and helmet-mounted display system. It can work with a variety of weapons, such as guided bombs, anti-ship missiles and PL-15E air-to-air missiles. This jet has eight hardpoints, which help it carry up to 4,000 kg of weight. In such a situation, this aircraft will make a big increase in the military strength of Azerbaijan.

Armenia-Azerbaijan tension

There is tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan is constantly getting weapons from Turkey and Pakistan. On the other hand, Armenia is friends with India. For India, Armenia has not only been a defense partner but also a political partner in the region. It has been a supporter of India's position on Jammu and Kashmir.

India has given Armenia the Akash Defense System for air security. This system is especially important for Armenia. Apart from this, Armenia has received ammunition, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, anti-tank weapons from India. Armenia has also received Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System Howitzer from India.