Sitalchay Military Airbase

Last updated
Sitalchay Military Airbase
Summary
Airport type Military
Owner Azerbaijan Air Force
Operator None
Location Sitalchay
Coordinates 40°47′02″N049°24′02″E / 40.78389°N 49.40056°E / 40.78389; 49.40056 Coordinates: 40°47′02″N049°24′02″E / 40.78389°N 49.40056°E / 40.78389; 49.40056
Map
Azerbaijan adm location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
Siltachay
Location of airport in Azerbaijan

Sitalchay (Azerbaijani : Sitalçay) Military Airbase is a military airbase located in the East of Azerbaijan, near the Caspian Sea. It is located 70 km North-West of the capital Baku in Sitalchay, a village and municipality in the Khizi Rayon. [1] The airbase is fenced and guarded but has not been operational since 1992.

Azerbaijani language Turkic language

Azerbaijani or Azeri, also sometimes referred to as Azeri Turkic or Azeri Turkish, is a term referring to two Turkic lects that are spoken primarily by the Azerbaijanis, who live mainly in Transcaucasia and Iran. North Azerbaijani and South Azerbaijani have significant differences in phonology, lexicon, morphology, syntax, and loanwords. ISO 639-3 groups the two lects as a "macrolanguage".

Caspian Sea lake in Asia and Europe, largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an endorheic basin located between Europe and Asia, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The Caspian Sea is home to a wide range of species and may be best known for its caviar and oil industries. Pollution from the oil industry and dams on rivers draining into the Caspian Sea have had negative effects on the organisms living in the sea.

Baku Place in Azerbaijan

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. Baku lies on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, alongside the Bay of Baku. At the beginning of 2009, Baku's urban population was estimated at just over 2,000,000 people. Officially, about 25 percent of all inhabitants of the country live in Baku's metropolitan area. Baku is the sole metropolis in Azerbaijan.

Contents

History

The Sitalchay air base was the location of the first Soviet Air Forces Sukhoi Su-25 unit. The first eleven production aircraft were assigned to the 80th or 60th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment, based at Sitalchay, in April 1981. [2]

Soviet Air Forces aerial warfare branch of the Soviet Unions armed forces

The Soviet Air Forces was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces were formed from components of the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1917, and faced their greatest test during World War II. The groups were also involved in the Korean War, and dissolved along with the Soviet Union itself in 1991–92. Former Soviet Air Forces' assets were subsequently divided into several air forces of former Soviet republics, including the new Russian Air Force. "March of the Pilots" was its song.

Sukhoi Su-25 family of attack aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975. After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 at Tbilisi in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

In June 1981 the 200th Separate Assault Aviation Squadron was formed at Sitalchay and then deployed to Afghanistan. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it became a base for a regiment of Su-25s of the 34th Air Army of the Soviet Air Forces.

Afghanistan A landlocked south-central Asian country

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in South and Central Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and in the far northeast, China. Its territory covers 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi) and much of it is covered by the Hindu Kush mountain range, which experiences very cold winters. The north consists of fertile plains, whilst the south-west consists of deserts where temperatures can get very hot in summers. Kabul serves as the capital and its largest city.

In August 1992, despite the provisions of the Tashkent Treaty which directed an orderly transfer of ex-Soviet forces to the republics, Azeri troops seized the entire regiment and its aircraft. [3]

Possible use by Israel

In March 2012, the magazine Foreign Policy reported that the Israeli Air Force might be preparing to use the airbase, located 500 km from the Iranian border, for air strikes against the nuclear program of Iran. [4] Since then some analysts as well as news agencies started presenting the issue as something confirmed. [5] Although confirming that Israel is seeking such access, political circles in Azerbaijan deny such consent from Baku. [1] Moreover, high-ranking politicians deny any possibility of using Azeri territory for any strike against Iran; a development that Iran sees as possible.[ citation needed ]

<i>Foreign Policy</i> bimonthly American magazine

Foreign Policy is an American news publication, founded in 1970 and focused on global affairs, current events, and domestic and international policy. It produces content daily on its website, and in six print issues annually.

Israeli Air Force Aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces

The Israeli Air Force operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. As of August 2017 Aluf Amikam Norkin serves as the Air Force Commander.

Iran Country in Western Asia

Iran, also called Persia and officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. With over 81 million inhabitants, Iran is the world's 18th most populous country. Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), it is the second largest country in the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world. Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. The country's central location in Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, give it geostrategic importance. Tehran is the country's capital and largest city, as well as its leading economic and cultural center.

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Azerbaijani Armed Forces combined military forces of Azerbaijan

The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed its own armed forces from 26 June 1918. However these were dissolved after Azerbaijan was absorbed into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 28 April 1920. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991–92 the armed forces were reformed based on Soviet bases and equipment left on Azeri soil.

Sukhoi Su-24 family of strike and reconnaissance aircraft

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Ukrainian Air Force Aerial warfare branch of Ukraines armed forces

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References

  1. 1 2 "Azerbaijan Disputes Story On Azerbaijani-Israeli Military Collaboration Against Iran". Eurasiareview.com.
  2. ↑ "Sukhoi Company (JSC) - Airplanes - Military Aircraft - Su-25К - Historical background". Sukhoi.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  3. ↑ Patrick Gorman, The Emerging Army in Azerbaijan, Central Asia Monitor No.1, 1993
  4. ↑ Perry, mark (28 March 2012). "Israel's Secret Staging Ground". Foreign Policy . Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "Israel kauft ein Flugfeld in Aserbaidschan" (in German). Nachrichten-politik.au. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
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