Azerbaijan remains most advanced drone operator in South Caucasus - Geopolitical Monitor
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Azerbaijan remains the most advanced and institutionally developed drone operator in the South Caucasus, says the article "Unmanned Arms Race: Integrating Drone Warfare in the South Caucasus" posted on Geopolitical Monitor.
The publication notes that the country continues actively expanding its unmanned warfare capabilities through both procurement and domestic development efforts.
According to it, in recent years, Azerbaijan adopted several new drone systems into service, including domestically produced UAVs such as the "İti Qovan."
"Azerbaijan's leading defense producer 'Azersilah' is also actively involved in UAV design and production efforts. Alongside local production initiatives, Azerbaijan continues operating a diverse fleet of Turkish and Israeli unmanned systems, including Bayraktar TB-2 and Akıncı drones, while also showing interest in acquiring additional advanced UAV platforms in the future. The country also established dedicated training and maintenance facilities for Akıncı drones," the article reads.
It further notes that the military cooperation framework established with Türkiye under the 2021 Shusha Declaration further strengthened cooperation in defense technologies, training, and military-industrial development.
The authors note that Azerbaijan also increasingly seeks to deepen cooperation with Turkish defense companies beyond simple procurement by exploring possibilities for joint drone production and broader defense-industrial collaboration with Baykar.
"In recent years, both sides signed cooperation agreements and memorandums regarding technology exchange, industrial cooperation, and potential localized production of Baykar systems in Azerbaijan, signaling Baku's long-term interest in developing more sustainable domestic unmanned systems production. One of the most important developments, which received little international attention, was the formal establishment of dedicated Unmanned Systems Troops within the Azerbaijani Armed Forces," they said.
The authors refer to the experience of Ukraine, saying that it demonstrated that such an institutionalization of unmanned forces allows for better coordination and battlefield results.
"The sequence of units presented during the 2025 military parade suggests that the new forces are likely integrated into the Azerbaijani Air Force structure. Azerbaijan's expanding drone capabilities are also supported by steadily increasing military expenditure. The country's defense budget grew from approximately $2.24 billion in 2020 to a planned $5.1 billion in 2026, reflecting Baku"s continued emphasis on military modernization and technological development," the article reads.
The authors recall that the military use of unmanned aerial vehicles dates back decades, with early reconnaissance drones already appearing during the Vietnam War and later conflicts.
The use of drones leaped even further during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which became the first major interstate conflict where unmanned systems played a central battlefield role.
According to Geopolitical Monitor, Azerbaijan's extensive use of drones demonstrated how deadly drones can be against armored vehicles, artillery systems, and air defenses, sealing the UAVs as a vital part of the modern battlefield.
"The South Caucasus remains one of the regions where the importance of unmanned systems is most visible. The experience of the Nagorno-Karabakh wars, followed by the lessons emerging from Ukraine, demonstrated to regional actors that drones are a crucial weapon in 21st century warfare. As a result, all three South Caucasus states show at least some level of interest in developing unmanned warfare capabilities, although the scale of implementation varies significantly. Azerbaijan currently stands out as the clear regional leader in drone warfare integration due to its domestic production, diversified procurement, and creation of dedicated unmanned systems structures," the article says.
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