Azerbaijan has signed a contract to purchase Pak-Chinese fighter jets, JF-17 Thunder Block III (also known as FC-1 Xiaolong.”

Azerbaijan’s offensive capability augmentation comes as Armenia is bulwarking its defenses via Indian and French equipment like Akash surface-to-air missiles.

Azerbaijan will purchase the fighter jets for US $1.6 billion. The deal encompasses pilots’ training and acquisition of armament. The rumors have been going on for some time, but Azernews said that the export of JF-17 to Baku will take place after the completion of 62 fighter jets to the Pakistan Air Force by 2024.

Pakistani expert Dr. Mehmood ul Hassan Khan said that the deal is confirmed by Pakistani sources. The sale of JF-17 ‘Thunder’ to Azerbaijan is the largest defense export deal in Pakistan’s history. The deal will supply eight fighter jets in the first tranche with a clause for a follow-on order of another 8 JF-17s. Azerbaijan has become the third country after Myanmar and Nigeria to opt for the fighter jet.

The JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft is jointly developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corp. It has a Chinese airframe and Western avionics, and a Russian engine powers it.

The Block III variant boasts enhanced weapons capability, making it more versatile in different combat scenarios. It can deploy diverse ordnance, including air-to-air, air-to-surface, anti-ship missiles, and guided and unguided bombs. It is equipped with the PL-15 Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile with a range of up to 300 kilometers.

The older variant has been facing problems with the engines. Technical malfunction forced Myanmar to ground its fleet of JF-17. Block III features a new engine, possibly an enhanced derivative of the RD-33MK (which powers the Russian MiG-35) or the WS 10A. This engine upgrade contributes to improved performance and agility.

The JF-17 Block III can exceed Mach 2 speeds by approximately 2,470 kilometers per hour. Its agility and maneuverability are crucial for air combat.

Block III incorporates an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, enhancing situational awareness and target tracking. It also features a helmet-mounted display (HMD) for improved pilot targeting and engagement. There are reports of an internal infrared search and tracking (IRST) system being considered.

The cost-effectiveness of JF-17 Thunder is its main advantage. It comes at roughly half the cost of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. While expected to be costlier, the Block III variant still offers significant advantages over its competitors.

Despite the brief spell of peace between the two countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan are re-arming themselves to prepare for future conflict. Armenia has purchased Akash surface-to-air missiles from India to fight Azerbaijan’s aerial threat. India’s supply of air defense systems to Armenia has facilitated restraint from the Azerbaijan side.

Akash is a short-range SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to protect vulnerable areas and points from air attacks. The Akash Weapon System (AWS) can simultaneously engage Multiple Targets in Group Mode or Autonomous Mode.

It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features. The entire weapon system is put atop mobile platforms.

It can effectively engage helicopters, fighter jets, and UAVs flying in the range of 4-25 kilometers. It is fully automatic and has a quick response time from target detection to kill.

It is highly immune to active and passive jamming. It can be transported swiftly via rail or road and deployed quickly. The project has an overall indigenous content of 82 percent, which will be increased to 93 percent by 2026-27.

The conflict has created two axes – one comprising Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan and another of Armenia, India, and France. The latest hostilities will see the use of newly acquired Indian weapons like Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) to Armenia and Bayraktar Akinci ‘Raider’ drones in Azerbaijan’s inventory.

However, this tumultuous peace is under threat as Baku inks deal for JF-17 Block III fighter jets after displaying its latest Bayrakta Akinci ‘Raider’. The possibility of the clash between two systems – the aircraft and the SAMs- is approaching sooner rather than later.

Presently, Azerbaijan’s air force relies primarily on aging Soviet-era fighter jets like the MiG-29 and Su-25. The addition of the JF-17 Block III would provide a substantial leap in technology and firepower. With its advanced weapons capability, improved radar systems, and agility, the JF-17 can enhance Azerbaijan’s air combat capabilities.

It remains to be seen if SAM will prove adequate against the JF-17, which, with its BVR missiles, can strike from well outside the range of the missile. One thing remains sure: the purchase of JF-17 Block III will further fuel the arms race in the region.

File Image: JF-17

The deal could influence the strategic calculus in the South Caucasus and impact regional stability. Azerbaijan has formed a triad with Pakistan and Turkey; soon after the military offensive against Armenia, the three countries conducted a military exercise called ‘Three Brothers.’

However, with the sale of JF-17 Block III, China’s role in the region could be further enhanced.

So far, Russia has been arming both the parties in the conflict. However, as Moscow is tied down in Ukraine, Baku and Yerevan are looking for alternate sources of military hardware. The JF-17 deal is introducing a new player in the regional military landscape.

Russian President Vladimir Putin faces a significant setback as Armenia announces its suspension of membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), widely seen as Putin’s response to NATO.

The move comes amid mounting tensions between Russia and its allies, marking a notable blow to Putin’s leadership in the wake of ongoing conflicts and geopolitical challenges.

The Armenian Defense Ministry on Saturday dismissed a statement from Azerbaijan regarding alleged shelling, labeling it as disinformation.

The ministry's press service refuted claims about a reported incident on February 24, where Armenian Armed Forces allegedly fired upon Azerbaijani positions, as untrue. The defense department clarified that on the said date, at approximately 12:30 pm local time, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces initiated the attack on Armenian positions in the Verin Shorzha region of Gegharkunik, refuting Azerbaijan's version of events.

Notably, the Armenian side did not report any casualties from the incident.

Melissa Bilal, a leading scholar of Armenians in Turkey and director of UCLA’s Armenian Music Program, has been appointed the inaugural holder of The . Bilal is renowned for her work on the history of Armenian music.

The endowed chair, made possible by a gift to The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, will support scholarly research, undergraduate and graduate courses in Armenian music, and academic conferences on Armenian music and performing arts.

“We are grateful for this investment in our ongoing work to deepen understanding of Armenian culture, which will further UCLA’s position as a leader in Armenian studies,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “One of our core responsibilities as an academic institution is to foster a sense of global citizenship and cultural understanding, and expanding our faculty and scholarship in this area is one way we are bringing that commitment to life.”

Melissa Bilal (far right) introduces an event at the 2023 Day of Armenian Music in Lani Hall

With a legacy of scholarship on Armenia and its diaspora that dates back more than 50 years, UCLA has established itself as one of the largest and most vibrant centers for Armenian studies outside of Armenia. The new Promise Chair, housed in The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, joins two other endowed chairs at UCLA devoted to the study of Armenia and Armenians. The Narekatsi Chair of Armenian Studies, the oldest endowed chair at UCLA, established in 1969, anchors the program in Armenian language and culture. The Armenian Educational Foundation endowed a chair in the history department in 1987, which in 2011 was renamed the Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History.

“UCLA has long been a leading place for Armenian studies, and it is also a great place for collaboration with other artists and scholars,” Bilal said. “The establishment of this chair will allow us to further expand our offerings for undergraduate and graduate students.”

Bilal holds a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Chicago and advanced degrees from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. She has been a visiting scholar of history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and held a Mellon postdoctoral teaching fellowship at Columbia University.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, she has served as associate director, and then director, of the Armenian Music Program in the School of Music, the only academic program outside Armenia dedicated to the study and performance of Armenian music. The program offers robust artistic programming through public concerts, community outreach, undergraduate courses on Armenian music and dance, fellowships for students, and support for the VEM Ensemble, founded and directed by violin professor Movses Pogossian and dedicated to Armenian classical music performance.

Under Bilal’s tenure, the program extended its VEM fellowship to enable more students and alumni to study Armenian folk singing as well as traditional Armenian instruments. The program has also embarked on several new research projects, including one exploring the archive of prominent music scholar and song collector Bedros Alahaidoyan. The program’s upcoming four-CD set, “Serenade With a Dandelion,” will be celebrated with a public concert scheduled for March 4.

Bilal’s activities as chair will also intersect with The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA which was founded in 2019 with a gift from the estate of philanthropist and entrepreneur Kirk Kerkorian. The institute coordinates interdisciplinary research and public programs and serves as a hub for world-class scholarship and teaching, supporting faculty and researchers in fields ranging from the arts and sciences to public health and medicine.

Dr. Eric Esrailian, co-chair of UCLA’s Second Century Council and a UCLA faculty member, was key to the establishment of The Promise Institute. He believes the chair at the School of Music will strengthen UCLA’s position as a premier site for Armenian cultural studies worldwide. “In her new role, Melissa Bilal will facilitate a close partnership with The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA to foster collaboration across campus, extend the broadest reach and promote the kind of interdisciplinary scholarship and activities that only the nation’s top public university can achieve,” he said.

UCLA and the School of Music are committed to enhancing both local and global impact, and this new chair is a big part of advancing that mission, said Eileen Strempel, inaugural dean of the School of Music. Los Angeles is home to more diasporic communities than virtually any other city in America — with a particularly robust Armenian community — and UCLA’s broader purpose is driven by a responsibility to create a just and prosperous future for both its immediate and extended global communities.

“Having the resources to support the ongoing research of distinguished scholars like Melissa helps our school do its part to fulfill that promise.” Strempel said. “As performers, creators and educators, we operate at the nexus of practice and scholarship most vibrantly when we proactively engage the diverse musical traditions within our city of exceptionally rich cultural diversity.”

Bilal’s scholarly research focuses on Armenian music and experiences in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her most recent book manuscript, “Feminism in Armenian: An Interpretive Anthology,” co-authored with MIT historian Lerna Ekmekcioglu, focuses on 12 Armenian feminist writers born in the Ottoman Empire and active in Constantinople/Istanbul and its post–Armenian Genocide diasporas from the 1860s through the 1960s.

“I’m looking forward to bringing scholars and artists together to discuss the enduring legacy of Armenian musicians in global music history and the significance of diverse repertoires and styles of Armenian music in our lives today,” said Bilal.

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu was to travel to Armenia on Thursday for a two-day visit as tensions mount with Yerevan's arch-enemy Azerbaijan.

Lecornu's trip, the first by a French defence minister to the small South Caucasus nation, comes after French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about a "risk of escalation" between Armenia and Azerbaijan as he received Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday.

Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said it’s a bid to “intimidate” France.