[ADEX 2022] The Small Arms of Azerbaijan (Part 1)

[Zarvan]

[ADEX 2022] The Small Arms of Azerbaijan (Part 1)​

Posted 1 day ago in AK-47 / AK-74 / Everything AK, Daily News, Defense, Machine Guns by Vladimir Onokoy with 25 Comments
Tags: ADEX 2022, AZ 7.62, Azerbaijan, HP 7.62, YST-7.62

The ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia brought a lot of attention to the military-industrial complex of Azerbaijan. And while many of their heavy weapon systems were procured abroad, when it comes to small arms, Azerbaijan demonstrates a surprising abundance of domestically produced firearms, which were demonstrated at the ADEX 2022 defense exhibition in Baku. That is especially interesting considering the fact that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan did not inherit any significant firearms manufacturing capability and their entire military industry was built from the ground up in the last 30 years.

Some of the current Azerbaijani weapons are a direct result of the transfer of technology (ToT), and some were developed from scratch. The most significant example of the direct ToT is Azerbaijani AK rifles.

Originally, Azerbaijan only received documentation for the production of AK74M chambered for 5.45×39 but with some help from international companies, they developed variants in 5.56 and 7.62. Note that both 5.56 and 7.62 magazines are clearly not made based on the Russian design.

Azerbaijani AK rifle chambered in 5.56×45 called EM-14

Azerbaijani AK rifle chambered in 7.62×39 called AZ 7.62

Another example of a locally produced variant of an established design is HP 7.62, a shortened version of the Kalashnikov PKM with simple, but much-needed improvements: it has a railed receiver cover and handguard, adjustable stock, and a new charging handle.

HP 7.62 shortened version of the Kalashnikov PKM

While those updates might appear quite rudimentary, it should be noted that the three main manufacturers of the PKM machinegun variants, Russian, Bulgaria, and Serbia do not offer a shortened version PKM machinegun optimized for CQB and special forces. Perhaps the Azerbaijan “Iglim” factory, being smaller is more responsive to the feedback from the users.
There are also several original designs, such as the YST-7.62, a semi-automatic sniper rifle that uses a Dragunov rifle magazine.

YST-7.62 semi-automatic sniper rifle

Chambered for 7.62×54, it was developed to replace the venerable SVD rifle and offers several key advantages: full-length Picatinny rail, an adjustable stock with a monopod, and an ambidextrous safety catch.
In Part 2, we’ll take a look at Azerbaijani anti-material rifles and heavy machine guns.

Vladimir Onokoy​

Vladimir Onokoy is a small arms subject matter expert and firearms instructor. Over the years he worked in 15 different countries as a security contractor, armorer, firearms industry sales representative, product manager, and consultant.
His articles were published in the Recoil magazine, Small Arms Review, Small Arms Defence Journal, and Silah Report, he also created several video series such as “Gun myths”, “Kalashnikov: around the world”, “Larry Vickers in Russia” and “Kalashnikov: evolution” that are available on YouTube.

► Email: machaksilver at gmail dot com.

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[ADEX 2022] The Small Arms of Azerbaijan (Part 1)

Azerbaijan demonstrates a surprising abundance of domestically produced firearms, which were demonstrated at the ADEX 2022 defense exhibition in Baku.

www.thefirearmblog.com

[ADEX 2022] The Small Arms of Azerbaijan (Part 2)​

Posted 11 hours ago in Daily News, Defense, Machine Guns by Vladimir Onokoy with 7 Comments
Tags: 12.7x108, 14.5x114, ADEX 2022, Azerbaijan, IGLIM, IST 12.7, IST-23, NST 14.5

In Part 1, we looked at some of the Azerbaijani-made small arms showcased at the ADEX 2022 exhibition in Baku. In Part 2, we’ll look at more unique and lesser known products of the Azerbaijan defense industry – large caliber sniper rifles and machine guns.

Generally, military small arms in Azerbaijan are developed and produced by a company named “IGLIM”. Before starting in the firearms industry, IGLIM specialized in aircraft engineering. The most significant new product “IGLIM” brought to the ADEX expo was their new 12.7×108 caliber machine gun, which, according to the representative, didn’t get a name yet.

Azerbaijan made a 12.7 mm caliber machine gun

Azerbaijan made a 12.7 mm caliber machine gun

The machinegun is apparently based on the Soviet NSV heavy machinegun which is currently produced in Kazakhstan and also looks similar to the Russian “Kord” MG developed to replace NSV.

Azerbaijan’s booth at the ADEX exhibition also featured a wide array of anti-materiel rifles. The first one, IST 12.7 was chambered for the same 12.7×108 round as the new heavy machine gun. This round is basically a Soviet version of the .50 BMG.

Sniper rifle IST 12.7

The next one, NST 14.5 is chambered for 14.5×114, a lesser known Russian round that is used in KPVT heavy machinegun mounted on various armored personnel carriers.

Sniper rifle NST 14.5

And then there is “one rifle to rule them all” called IST-23. Previously, TFB’s Miles reported about the prototypes of this rifle, and the final version certainly looks more elegant compared to the prototypes.

The round, 23×115, was initially developed in the 1940s for automatic aircraft cannons and was never used in small arms before. While the utility of this rifle can be questioned, the actual idea is certainly unconventional and interesting.

Sniper rifle IST 23

While it is hard to come to any conclusion without testing all the above-mentioned rifles, it is evident that Azerbaijan spares no expense when it comes to building its military industry and eventually can become an important player in the international arms market.

Vladimir Onokoy​

Vladimir Onokoy is a small arms subject matter expert and firearms instructor. Over the years he worked in 15 different countries as a security contractor, armorer, firearms industry sales representative, product manager, and consultant.

His articles were published in the Recoil magazine, Small Arms Review, Small Arms Defence Journal, and Silah Report, he also created several video series such as “Gun myths”,
“Kalashnikov: around the world”, “Larry Vickers in Russia” and “Kalashnikov: evolution” that are available on YouTube.
► Email: machaksilver at gmail dot com.
► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vladimir-O...ns-and-other-unpopular-stuff-107273143980300/
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladonokoy/
► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/machaksilver

[ADEX 2022] The Small Arms of Azerbaijan (Part 2) -

In Part 2, we'll look at Azerbaijani-made large caliber sniper rifles and machine guns showcased at the ADEX 2022 exhibition in Baku.

www.thefirearmblog.com