Italian Air Force Alenia C-27J Spartan transport plane taking off from Kleine-Brogel Air Base. Peer, Belgium – September 13, 2021
BEIRUT — The Azerbaijan Air Force has signed a contract with Leonardo to procure an unknown number of C-27J Spartan multi-role military transport aircraft, the company announced on June 8.
According to a statement by the Italian firm, the contract was signed by an Azerbaijani delegation in Italy, in the presence of defense ministers representatives from the two countries.
However, Leonardo would not comment on the number of aircraft, the overall price of the deal or the timeline of the delivery when asked by Breaking Defense.
Interestingly, the statement highlighted that the cooperation between the two countries was initially linked to energy sectors and then was extended to defense.
“For Azerbaijan, a C-27J gives the Azeri air force new tactical operations for transport, logistics, and potentially, depending on the final version of the C-27J purchased, ground support and EW options,” said Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the RANE Network. “C-27Js will free up Baku’s Il-76s and helicopter transport for other missions as well.”
He added that this is a notable breakthrough for Azeri-Western military relations, given that Azerbaijan is under an informal arms embargo that has seen it largely isolated from Western military purchases.
“It’s hard to say if this will lead to more sales, but in the context of Azerbaijan’s role in pressuring a Russian ally, Armenia, as well as becoming more hawkish against Iran, it may presage an environment where some NATO countries become more comfortable supplying Baku with new military hardware,” Bohl added.
In the last year, Leonardo has nabbed a number of contracts to upgrade C-27J existing fleets. In October 2022, it received a $70 million contract to upgrade the Australian air force’s fleet [https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/air-sea-lift/10926-leonardo-lands-c-27j-spartan-contract], followed by a $91.9 million deal from the US in February 2023 [https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/leonardo-to-upgrade-avionics-on-usas-remaining-c-27js/151985.article] , and most recently a deal with Italy for upgrades [https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/italy-launches-c-27j-upgrade].
Azerbaijan’s air force heavily relies on helicopters, with 87 helicopters out of its 149 total aircraft. It operates two outdated IL-76 of Chinese origin for military transport, hence making the procurement of C-27J necessary to its modernization program.
“The agreement is part of the extensive modernisation programme of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, which are increasingly looking to the products of Italian industry,” according to Leonardo statement.
C-27J Spartan can be used for different missions including military transport, airdrops of paratroopers and materials, tactical troop support and special forces operations.
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