Army of Azerbaijan
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The Azerbaijan Army has about 110,000 personnel including 15,000 airborne troops.
Since 1994 Azerbaijan has started to increase its military budget, and since 2006 it has risen to $660 million . Azerbaijan is further expanding its military budget to $1 billion within the year 2006. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, like its Armenian counterpart, has been trying to further develop its armed forces into a professional, well trained, and mobile military.
Azerbaijan is also expanding its active forces, now numbering about 95,000, with an additional reserve of 575,000, as well as a "reserve of the reserve" of 1,314,955. The Azeri ground forces have in addition 15,000 airborne dropping troops. In the training of its troops, Azerbaijan has signed many contracts to strengthen its armed forces and to train its military with Turkey. Azerbaijan has also token a new organisation style to modernize its army organisation. Over the last 14 years, Azerbaijan has been preparing its military for possible action against Armenian forces in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. It is feared that Azerbaijan may attempt to liberate its occupied territories in Karabakh by military force, because the last negotiations were a faillure in France. Azerbaijan has constantly stated its interested in a diplomatic and peaceful solution.
[edit] Main Battle Tanks
In the past 10-12 years Azerbaijan has purchased significant quantities of weapons and military equipment, specifically tanks, artillery systems and combat aircraft. The parameters of armament purchases made by Azerbaijan have reached such a point that Azerbaijan now has almost two times more tanks and armored vehicles, two times more artillery systems and other equipment that exceed the limits set by the updated 1999 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). According to expert evaluation, the number of tanks alone, not counting armored vehicles, is over 500 pieces [1].
In 1997 the Azerbaijan military had 274 Main battle tanks excisting from out:
By 2003 the Azerbaijan military had aquired 259 addentional Main battle tanks excisting from out:
[edit] Armored Combat Vehicles
The Azerbaijani army (1997) had 361 armored combat vehicles consisting out; BMP-1,BM-21 122-mm Grad Artillery Rocket Launcher, BMP-2, BMP-3 and MT-LB armored combat vehicles.
In 2003 the Azerbaijani army had 513 armored combat vehicles consisting out:
- BMP-1 - 114
- BMP-2 - 96
- BMP-3 - 4
- BMD-1 - 41
- BRM-1 - 23
- BTR-60 - 25
- BTR-70 - 28
- BTR-80 - 11
- MT-LB - 196
[edit] Artillery Systems
The Azerbaijani army (1997) had 301 artillery systems of 100 mm caliber or more, consisting out; MT-12, M-46 howitzer and 9A52.
In 2005 the Azerbaijani army had 410 artillery systems, consisting out:
