Israeli-Azeri drones conduct spy missions along Iran border

According to the report, following a rise in the US radar activities in the Astara Rayon region of Azerbaijan as well as the presence of Israeli military advisors in the country, Azerbaijan has been using Orbiter ultra-light drones assembled with the help of Israeli experts to carry out operations along the border with Iran and Karabakh.

According to Iranian military experts, Azerbaijan also uses Hermes-450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for control and surveillance missions.

Israel has sold 10 Hermes-450 drones, manufactured by Elbit Systems, to Azerbaijan between 2009 and 2012.

The Hermes-450 UAVs are equipped with GPS, which means they can also provide an outside observer with satellite images sent by the drone.

    In 2009, reports released by certain media regarding an agreement between Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on the deployment of electronic stations confirmed that Azerbaijan and Israel were cooperating on satellite systems.


According to experts, Israeli satellites are closely cooperating with Azeri drones, though they have a long way to go before reaching the ideal level.

The Hermes-450 UAVs can be equipped with offensive systems such as air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles as well as electronic warfare equipment. However, their limited range of mission, which is up to 200-300 kilometers, has restricted their use for operational and strategic purposes.

Israel and Azerbaijan have signed a USD 1.6 billion deal for selling Heron and Searcher offensive drones to Baku to make up for that limitation.