Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Azerbaijani Air Force carried out night flights under a particular preparation plan as part of the armed forces' regular military drills.

The plan approved by Defense Minister, Zakir Hasanov initiated the first ever night drills of the armed forces which has been seen as a new training experience in Azerbaijan's military sphere.

Su-25 and MiG-29 aircrafts carried out multiple tasks at night and under low light conditions -- take-offs and landings, destruction of air and ground targets, maneuvers at low and medium altitudes were the primary tasks conducted within the drills.

Pilots carried out mock attacks, firing at set targets during such night exercises. All tasks set were successfully completed due to the armed forces' high combat readiness, skills and personnel's interaction during the drills.

The Defense Ministry's leadership expressed its satisfaction and appreciation towards the pilots' efforts and professionalism.

As part of its efforts to boost its fighting capacity in the framework of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, Azerbaijan armed forces have team up for regular military drills annually.

Earlier in February, the Azerbaijani forces held large-scale operational and tactical exercises involving 15,000 personnel, 300 armored vehicles, over 200 means of missile and artillery troops and 20 aircrafts of the air forces, air defense units and sophisticated anti-aircraft missile complexes.

Azerbaijan, which increased its arms imports by 249 percent over the past ten years, is the second arms importer in Europe following the United Kingdom, according to SIPRI, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Global Firepower, a center providing a unique analytical display of data concerning today's world military power, ranked Azerbaijan 50th among 106 countries in its most recent report, showing that the Azerbaijani Air Forces have 121 aircraft in total, including both fix-winged and rotary-wing aircraft from all branches of service.

Azerbaijan, which has 20 percent of its internationally recognized territory under Armenian occupation, has boosted its fighting capacity in an effort to liberate its lands. It has set this mission as its top priority in 2015.

Armenia has ignored all international calls to withdraw from the Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other adjacent regions. Armenia fought a lengthy war against Azerbaijan in the early 1990s, claiming the lives of hundreds of ethnic Azerbaijanis. Armenia keeps under control one fifth of Azerbaijan territory. Such military occupation caused over a million Azerbaijanis to live as IDPs and refugees in their homeland.

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