Azerbaijani Land Forces

Azerbaijani Land Forces Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri Quru Qoşunları
Flag of Azerbaijan Land Forces
Active	c.1992 - present
Country	Azerbaijan
Allegiance	Azerbaijan
Branch	Land Forces
Size	Disputed. IISS 2013: 119.000 MilTech 2013: 119.300
Part of	Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Headquarters	Baku
Engagements	Nagorno-Karabakh War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Samad bey Mehmandarov

Coat of arms of Azerbaijani Land Forces

The Azerbaijani Land Forces (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri Quru Qoşunları) are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to further develop its armed forces into a professional, well trained, and mobile military. Based on 2007 statistics the country has about 56,840 ground force troops, with additional paramilitary forces of 15,000. In addition, there are 300,000 former service personnel who have had military service in the last fifteen years.

Reportedly, in wartime, the Army proper could call upon the support of the National Guard, the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan, and the State Border Service. The exact wartime command structure remains unclear.

History

During the Soviet period, Azerbaijan was part of the Transcaucasus Military District, whose forces in the republic were commanded by the 4th Army. The 4th Army consisted of three motor rifle divisions (the 23rd Motor Rifle Division (MRD) at Ganja, the 60th Motor Rifle Division at Lankaran, and the 295th Motor Rifle Division in Baku) and army troops that included missile and air defense brigades and artillery and rocket regiments. Azerbaijan also hosted the 49th Arsenal of the Main Agency of Missiles and Artillery of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which contained over 7,000 train-car loads of ammunition to the excess of one billion units. In addition, the 75th Motor Rifle Division, part of the 7th Guards Army, was in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.

In summer 1992, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, following a resolution by the Azerbaijani president on the privatization of units and formations in Azerbaijani territory, forwarded an ultimatum demanding control over vehicles and armaments of the 135th and 139th motorized rifle regiments of the 295th Motor Rifle Division. The transfer of the property of the 4th Army (except for over half the equipment of the 366th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of the 23rd Division captured by Armenian armed formations in 1992 during the regiment's withdrawal from Stepanakert) and the 49th Arsenal was completed in 1992. Thus, by the end of 1992, the Azerbaijani Government received arms and military hardware sufficient for approximately three motorized rifle divisions with prescribed army units. The stores and equipment of the 75th Division were handed over to the Nakhichevan government. The former Division HQs may have contributed to the formation of corps headquarters.

Azerbaijan has also implemented a new organizational style in order to modernize its army. Over the last 15 years, Azerbaijan has been preparing its military for possible action against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. However Azerbaijan has continually stated that it is interested in a diplomatic and peaceful solution.

Azerbaijan has contracted with Turkey for troop training to strengthen its armed forces. This is necessary in view of deficiencies that Jane's World Armies said in 2004 included huge problems in training, equipping and motivating its soldiers; corruption in its ranks; and a highly politicised officer corps. The Soviet Army tradition of dedovshchina, institutionalised hazing, appears to be continuing in the armed forces as of 2008. The quality and readiness of much of the army's equipment, Jane's said, is also a problem, as a decade of poor maintenance and chronic shortages of spare parts means that many systems are not operational, or cannibalised for parts. Azerbaijan has the second highest military expenditure in CIS. Azerbaijan's defense spending is second only to Russia's within the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Structure

Azerbaijani Land Forces Structure 2007

Faced by Armenian forces apparently with some Russian support, the Azeri military was forced back out of Nagorno-Karabakh, and was significantly reorganised in the mid-1990s predominantly around brigades, though at least one division was reported as late as 2000. Manoeuvre formations have consistently stayed at a strength of around twenty brigades and regiments since 1995, though that has slowly risen recently. During the 1990s, these brigades may have included the 701st Motor Rifle Brigade (мсбр)(1st Army Corps), the 708th Motor Rifle Brigade (1st Army Corps), 130th Motor Rifle Brigade (1st Army Corps), 161 мсбр(2 АК), 709 мсбр Быв. 23 мсд, and the 112th Motor Rifle Brigade.

In 2002-4 the IISS Military Balance reported personnel strength falling while total manoeuvre formations increased by one. The Military Balance 2003-4 reported an army strength of 56,000, with four corps headquarters and twenty-three motor rifle brigades, compared to the previous year’s edition showing 62,000 personnel and twenty-two brigades. Artillery and anti-tank units include two brigades and a regiment. 1st Army Corps is headquartered at Yevlakh (Евлах) reportedly with six brigades in 1999. (Brinkster.net gave the corps 1, 3, 9, 10, 15, 17th Motor Rifle Brigades in 1999. The 2nd Army Corps at Pirəkəşkül had seven brigades attached in 1999 (Brinkster.net naming these brigades as the 2, 4, 6, 8, 13, 14, and 18th Motor Rifle Brigades), while 3rd Army Corps, also with six brigades attached, was headquartered at Shamkir/Shamkira (Шамкира). Brinkster.net named these formations as the 7, 11, 12, 16, 19, 20 Motor Rifle Brigades (1999). 4th Army Corps was in the isolated Nakhichevan enclave. It is a former motor rifle division with three motor rifle regiments (1999).

The IISS estimated in 2007 that the Azeri regular army was 56,840 strong, probably basing this figure on Conventional Forces in Europe treaty data. It attributes to the army five corps headquarters, 23 motor rifle brigades, one artillery brigade, one multiple rocket launcher brigade, and one anti-tank regiment. Of the five army corps, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Army Corps are concentrated against NK; part of 2nd Army Corps is deployed on the Azerbaijan-Iranian border; the 4th (Bakinskiy) Army Corps covers the capital and the coast and the 5th Army Corps is deployed in Nakhichevan.

Azerbaijani formations reportedly include motor rifle brigade at Гянджа/Gyandzha, motor rifle brigade at Hacı Zeynalabdin, мсбр Кусары/Kusar, мсбр Nakhichivan, мсбр Казах/Kazakh, мсбр Товуз/Tovuz, мсбр Бейлаган/Beilagan, мсбр Göytəpə, Jalilabad (Гейтепе), мсбр Джульфа/Dzhulfa, мсбр Кедабек/Kedabek, tank brigade Gyuzdek/Гюздек.

Ranks

Officers

• Colonel General
• Lieutenant General
• Major General
• Colonel
• Lieutenant-Colonel
• Major
• Captain
• Senior Lieutenant (Lieutenant)
• Lieutenant (Second Lieutenant)
• Junior Lieutenant (Third Lieutenant)

Warrant Officers

• Chief Warrant Officer
• Warrant Officer

NCOs and Enlisted

• Master Sergeant
• Staff Sergeant
• Sergeant
• Corporal
• Private 1st Class
• Private

• Ranks and Insignia - www.uniforminsignia.org

Equipment

Members of the Azerbaijani Special Forces during a military parade in Baku 2011

Exercise participants from Azerbaijan pass in review during CENTRASBAT (Central Asian Peacekeeping Battalion) 2000 opening ceremonies on September 13th, 2000.

Personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces at 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade.

In the past 10–12 years Azerbaijan has purchased significant quantities of weapons and military equipment, specifically tanks, artillery systems and combat aircraft. The amount of arms purchased by Azerbaijan have reached such a point that Azerbaijan now has almost twice as many tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems and other equipment as allowed it under the limits set by the updated 1999 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). Elbit Systems, one of the world's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators, will upgrade the Azerbaijani Army's T-72 tanks.

Armored fighting vehicles

The Azerbaijani army has many armoured combat vehicles, including BMP-1, BMP-2, BMP-3 and MT-LB armoured combat vehicles.

In 2012 the IISS said the Azerbaijani army had 468 armoured infantry fighting vehicles and APCs. 29 BTR-70's were acquired from Ukraine in 2009. There are also reports, not confirmed by the IISS, that the Matador and the Marauder are in service. The following figures are provided by the IISS for 2012.

Vehicle	Origin	Versions	Number	Notes
Armored Vehicles
T-90	Russia	Main Battle Tank	23+	More on order
T-80	Belarus	Main Battle Tank	44
T-72	Russia/Israel	Main Battle Tank	636	Upgraded by Israeli Elbyt Systems Company.T-72 Aslan-Modified in Azerbaijan with the help of Israel, upgraded armour, weapon components, GPS-navigation systems, night-thermal vision, satellite linked target acquisition system and tactical combat map with friend-or-foe recognition system.
T-64	Soviet Union	Main Battle Tank	100
T-55	Soviet Union	Main Battle Tank	350
BMD-1	Soviet Union	Infantry Fighting Vehicle	20
BMP-1	Soviet Union/Ukraine	Infantry Fighting Vehicle	200
BMP-2	Soviet Union	Infantry Fighting Vehicle	300	Including elder variants with mounted S-8 rocket and S-13 rocket launch systems
BMP-3	Russia	Infantry Fighting Vehicle	50+	More on order. Being put into service since May 2011. At the moment, only ordered by the military.
BTR-D	Soviet Union	Infantry Fighting Vehicle	11
BTR-80	Russia	Wheeled armoured personnel carrier	209 (119 BTR-80+90 BTR-80A)
BTR-70	Ukraine	Wheeled armoured personnel carrier	300
Mbombe	Azerbaijan/South Africa	Wheeled armoured personnel carrier	N/A	Locally produced by Azerbaijan
BTR-60	Soviet Union	Wheeled armoured personnel carrier	50+
Cougar HE	United States	MRAP	4	Azerbaijan Peackeeping Forces use Coughar vehicles in Iraq.
BTR-3	Ukraine	Armored Personnel Carrier	6
BRDM-2	Soviet Union/Azerbaijan	Armored Personal Carrier	30	Upgraded by Azerbaijan
Nurol Ejder	Turkey	Armored Personnel Carrier	??	Locally produced by Azerbaijan Defence Industry
MT-LB	Soviet Union	Tracked Armored personal cout carrier	400	Modernised by Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan
Otokar Cobra	Turkey	Armored Personnel Carrier	350
Otokar ZPT	Turkey	Armored Personal Carrier	200
Land Rover Defender	United Kingdom	Amoured Personal Carrier	110 Defender + 100 Otokar Engerek
Humvee	United States	Armored Personnel Carrier	60	Used by Azerbaijan Internal Troops (Gendarmerie) and PKF.
Matador	Azerbaijan	MRAP	110
Marauder	Azerbaijan	MRAP	110
Multiple rocket launcher systems
TR-300 Kasirga		300 mm	15+
BM-30		300 mm	24
T-122 Sakarya		122 mm	48
TR-107 CNRA	/	107 mm	96+
LAR-160		160 mm	35
Lynx		122 mm	30
Extra		122 mm	30
BM-21		122 mm	63
Self-propelled artillery
T-155 Firtina		155 mm	36
ATMOS 2000		152 mm	10
2S3 Akatsiya		152 mm	6
2S1 Gvozdika		152 mm	81
2S7 Pion		203 mm	24
' Towed artillery
85 mm antitank gun D-48		85 mm
122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)		122 mm	190
152 mm towed gun-howitzer M1955 (D-20)		152 mm	34
130 mm howitzer M-46		152 mm	36
152 mm Giatsint-B		152 mm	34
Mortars
2B9 Vasilek		82 mm	??
MO-120-RT-61		120 mm	N/A
2B14 Podnos		82 mm	300
2B11		120 mm	400
M5		120 mm	N/A
Anti-tank guns
Kombat (ATGM)		125 mm	??
SPG-9		73 mm	100
IMI Shipon		83 mm	100 launchers
Spike (missile)		170 mm	100 launchers
AT-14 Kornet		170 mm	60 launchers,100 missiles

Infantry Weapons

Name	Origin	Type	Notes
Makarov PM		9x18mm pistol
HK MP5		9x19mm submachine gun	Used by special forces
AK-74	/	5.45x39mm assault rifle	Manufectered under license by Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan
M-16		5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle	Used by Special Forces
M-4 Carbine		5.56x45mm NATO
IMI Tavor TAR-21		5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle
HK G3		7.62x51mm assault rifle
Universal (machine gun)		7.62x54mm machine gun
HP-7.62		7.62x54mm machine gun
IMI Negev		5.56x45mm NATO machine gun
PKM		7.62x54mm machine gun
M60 machine gun		7.62x51mm NATO machine gun
Dragunov SVD		7.62x54mm sniper rifle
Yalguzag		7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifle
JNG-90		7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifle
Remington Model 700		sniper rifle
KNT-308		7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifle
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare		7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifle
RPA Rangemaster		7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifle
Sako TRG		.338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle
OM 50 Nemesis		.50 BMG sniper rifle
Istiglal Anti-Material Rifle		14.5x114mm
OSV-96		12.7x108mm
PGM Hécate II		.50 BMG