Despite Yerevan’s concessions, including the cession of four localities in the Tavush region to Baku, a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains unsigned several weeks later. To recall, Azerbaijan already took full control of Nagorno-Karabakh after a lightning offensive a year ago.
However, due to its military superiority, Azerbaijan is in a strong position and maintains the goal of securing access to its Nakhchivan territory via the Zangezur corridor. This means it is not necessarily in a rush to conclude this peace agreement, unlike Armenia, which is eager to move on.
Meanwhile, thanks to revenue from hydrocarbon exploitation, Baku continues to modernize and expand its military capabilities. The Azerbaijani Air Force reported in February that it had ordered JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, designed by China and Pakistan, for a total of $1.6 billion. This contract also included the delivery of ammunition, logistical support, and training for pilots and technicians.
Estimates place the cost of a JF-17 between $25 million and $50 million (depending on additional services), implying that the presumed order involved a minimum of 32 aircraft. This would significantly boost Azerbaijan’s air combat fleet, which at the time consisted of about ten MiG-29 “Fulcrum” jets and around thirty Su-25 “Frogfoot” attack aircraft.
Baku’s JF-17 Thunder purchase took seven months to confirm. Furthermore, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has confirmed the first aircraft’s delivery.
On September 25, President and “Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces” Ilham Aliyev received multirole JF-17C Block-III fighter jets at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra, and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation of China jointly developed these advanced, lightweight, all-weather aircraft for day and night operations, the Azerbaijani presidency announced in a statement.
The statement added, “These aircraft have already been integrated into the Azerbaijani Air Force arsenal.” This claim, however, is debatable as the photographs shared at the event appear to show only one JF-17 (number 320), and it still bears Pakistani markings!
Developed through cooperation between Pakistan and China, the JF-17 “Thunder” boasts a Russian-origin RD-39 engine that enables it to fly at Mach 1.6. It is capable of carrying up to 3,800 kg of munitions across seven hardpoints; it features a KLJ-7A active electronically scanned array radar, a helmet-mounted display, and flyby-wire controls.
