Turkey deploys T129 attack helicopters to Azerbaijan

The Turkish Armed Forces have deployed T129 attack helicopters to Azerbaijan, according to the Ministry Of Defence Of Azerbaijan.

According to a recent service news release, a group of servicemen and the aircraft of the Turkish Armed Forces participating in the Azerbaijani-Turkish Live-Fire Joint Large-Scale Tactical and Flight-Tactical Exercises arrived in Nakhchivan.

During the solemn welcoming ceremony for the servicemen participating in the exercises, which took place at the military airfield of the Combined Arms Army, the national anthems of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan were performed.

Military, attack and combat helicopters of the Turkish Armed Forces arrived on a military transport aircraft, are brought to a state of readiness for Live-Fire Flight-Tactical Exercises at the military airfield of the Combined Arms Army.

According to Army-technology.com, the T129 multirole attack helicopter is being developed jointly by AgustaWestland and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLF) under the attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopter (ATAK) programme. The helicopter is based on the AW129 and its predecessor the A129 Mangusta.

Nevertheless, Turkey deployed troops to Azerbaijan after an Armenian attack took place on Azerbaijan’s border on July 12.

The recent rise in tensions was triggered when the Armenian army attempted to attack Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire in the direction of the northwestern Tovuz border district, withdrawing after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.

Twelve Azerbaijani soldiers, including a major general and a colonel, were killed and four others were injured in the recent border clashes.

Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the “provocative” actions, with Turkey throwing its weight behind Baku and warning Yerevan that it would not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.