Turkey and Azerbaijan Sign $500 Million Defense Package at ADEX 2026, Led by 14 Hürkuş-II Trainers
Turkey and Azerbaijan have signed a defense-industry package worth more than $500 million at the ADEX 2026 exhibition in Baku. Under the agreement, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) will supply 14 Hürkuş-II trainer aircraft, while Baykar will add its long-range Mızrak kamikaze munition and its Antidot system to Azerbaijan’s inventory.
The package, signed at ADEX 2026 at Baku Expo Center between September 30 and October 2, 2026, was announced with the participation of Defense Industry Agency President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün and Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov. The agreement stands out as one of the most comprehensive defense-industrial packages the two countries have signed to date.
TUSAŞ: 14 Hürkuş-II Trainers
On the TUSAŞ side of the package, 14 Hürkuş-II turboprop trainer aircraft will be delivered to the Azerbaijani Air Force. Görgün said deliveries “will take place rapidly within this year.” The Hürkuş-II, designed by Turkish engineers, is used for basic and advanced pilot training; its weapons-integrated Hürkuş-C variant can also carry out light-attack missions.
Baykar: Mızrak and Antidot
The agreement signed on Baykar’s side covers the AI-assisted Mızrak smart kamikaze munition, which has a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers and an endurance of more than seven hours in the air. The package also includes Baykar’s “Antidot” system, though the company has not yet disclosed its technical details.
At the same ceremony, a memorandum of understanding was signed covering ROKETSAN’s Barbaros coastal defense system and ASELSAN’s ALP-100 radar. Plans were also discussed for a joint production facility in Nakhchivan between ASELSAN and Azerbaijan’s NOVASIS.
Why It Matters
The package illustrates that Turkey’s defense exports now follow a multi-layered model extending well beyond platform sales alone — spanning trainer aircraft, munitions, radar, and joint-production facilities. A potential joint-production facility in Nakhchivan would mark a new example of Turkish defense industry’s localization strategy in the Caucasus.
For Azerbaijan, the agreement aligns with its goal of boosting deterrence capacity amid the shifting regional balance of power with Armenia since 2020. Defense cooperation between the two countries, long framed under the “one nation, two states” rhetoric, has now taken on a concrete economic and military dimension through this ADEX 2026 package.
ADEX’s Place in Turkish Defense Industry
ADEX has become a platform Turkish defense companies regularly use to expand into the Central Asian and Caucasus markets. The scale of the package signed at this year’s exhibition marks a clear increase over previous years and will make a meaningful contribution to Turkish defense industry’s 2026 export targets.
Other Items and Regional Implications
The scope of the ADEX 2026 package was not limited to TUSAŞ and Baykar. ROKETSAN’s Barbaros coastal defense system stands out as a solution for Azerbaijan’s maritime security needs along its Caspian Sea coastline. The memorandum of understanding on ASELSAN’s ALP-100 radar has not yet turned into a binding contract; such MoUs typically evolve into firm orders after a technical-evaluation and feasibility process.
The weight Azerbaijan places on Turkish industry in its defense procurement also reinforces its position in the regional security architecture as a non-NATO actor that nonetheless holds strategic partnership agreements with Turkey. Baku has previously operated Baykar platforms such as the TB2 and Akıncı, and the addition of Mızrak to its inventory will further deepen its long-range precision-strike capacity.
Sources
- Daily Sabah — “Türkiye Inks Over $500M in Defense Contracts with Azerbaijan” (September 30, 2026) — used for the package’s total value and scope.
- Anews (sourced from Anadolu Agency) — “Türkiye Inks Contract to Supply Azerbaijan with 14 Hürkuş-II Trainer Aircraft” — used for details of the TUSAŞ agreement.
- Trend.az — used for the signing ceremony and parties involved.
- APA.az — used for the agreement’s political context.
- Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) official photo — used for imagery.
