F-16 Aircraft Integrated into Azerbaijani Air Force Operations, Says Deputy Commander of Air Defense Forces

The Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Air Defense Forces, Garik Movsesyan, reported that prior to a press conference, they received information that another Su-25 of the adversary had been shot down. Movsesyan stated that F-16 multirole aircraft have been present in Azerbaijan since July, during the preparation for the Turkish-Azerbaijani large-scale strategic exercises.

According to the Deputy Commander of the Air Defense Forces, these aircraft have conducted active operations during both the preparation and the execution of the exercises. 'They have conducted active training and combat flights along the entire length of the Artsakh state border, primarily targeting Ganja, Vardenis, Ganja-Karabakh, Ganja-Martakert, Stepanakert, and Hadrut directions. After the exercises, these aircraft did not return to the territory of the Republic of Turkey, remaining stationed at Ganja airport. Subsequently, on September 23, the Turkish Air Force Command conducted a rotation of the F-16s stationed at Ganja airport, along with their crews and technical personnel. I must mention that the retraining from the territory of Turkey to Azerbaijan was carried out through Georgian airspace,' said Movsesyan, noting that since the beginning of the large-scale offensive actions unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27 of this year, Turkish F-16s have been actively involved in combat operations.

Garik Movsesyan revealed that several facts indicate this involvement; for example, on September 27, during strikes on the Ganja-Sotk-Vardenis air route, two Turkish Air Force F-16 aircraft violated Armenian airspace by up to 6 km deep. 'On September 29, at around 12:16, an F-16 on duty in the Mingachevir reservoir area discovered an Armenian Armed Forces Su-25 aircraft flying from inside Armenia towards the state border, took direction towards the state border, and shot down our Su-25 aircraft with a missile fired from approximately 60 km away from the border. The leadership of the Republic of Armenia has made statements indicating that Turkey is directly involved and is also engaging aviation in combat operations. To conceal their subsequent actions, on October 3, the adversary transferred F-16 aircraft from Ganja airport to Gabala airport. If before they were conducting operations separately, after that they also changed their tactics and began to collaborate with the Azerbaijani Air Force,' Movsesyan stated.

The Deputy Commander of the Air Defense Forces noted that F-16 aircraft are operating within the framework of Azerbaijani Air Force operations, providing support for missile and bombing strikes against the territories of Armenia and Artsakh during their operations and covering them,' stated Movsesyan. The Deputy Commander of the Air Defense Forces, Garik Movsesyan, also addressed the 18-day duration of the military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan, stating that they have shot down more than 180 air attack means of the adversary, including, according to confirmed data, 15 aircraft, 8 helicopters, and various types of UAVs. Colonel Movsesyan added that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure that the Air Defense Forces are self-sufficient and capable of performing air border protection and security combat missions.