Aselsan radios for Azerbaijan

Aselsan will supply Azerbaijan with two different types of radio according to a July 23 company press release. The memorandum of understanding for the procurement was signed between Aselsan and the Azeri Ministry of Defence procurement division at the IDEF 2025 defence exhibition in Istanbul. 

“Under the agreements, Aselsan will provide its sister country, Azerbaijan, with the nationally developed PUP Portable Satellite Terminal, along with the 9661 and 3700 radios,” the press release states. It also adds that the agreement includes “EHPODs, HBT maintenance, repair, and capability acquisition.” 

It is not clear what is meant by EHPOD and HBT maintenance but the 3700 handheld radio and the ARTCom 9661 V/UHF vehicle-based family of radios are clear. The 9661 radio is software defined with frequency hopping as standard as well as clear or encrypted voice and data communications. It is also capable of forming a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET), which means each radio would act as a sort of router, both receiving data and communications for the user or vehicle, and acting as a node to push data onto other receivers. The ad hoc element is key; a MANET doesn’t rely on any pre-existing, fixed infrastructure like routers, access points, or base stations. Instead, the network is formed spontaneously and dynamically.

Encryption is also important for protecting radio traffic and preventing an adversary from listening to it. This occurred frequently during the opening stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the Russian forces did not have the time, and sometimes the knowledge to encrypt their transmissions, despite many of their radio families having the ability to do so. It isn’t always necessary to encrypt radio traffic; tactical communications for example, which might be very time sensitive, could have little value to an adversary if intercepted. But, more important communications signalling a big operational move or potential vulnerability need to be protected. 

Calibre comment

Aselsan radios have been in use with Azeri armed forces since the 1990s, when support was provided during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war. That has continued in the interim and Turkish support for Azerbaijan has increased. The extent of the defence relationships between the two countries became very prominent during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, when technology from Aselsan including electronic warfare systems proved critical in degrading Armenian defences. Azerbaijan has signed several agreements with Turkish companies during IDEF, both between its MoD and the companies, and between its own companies, too. The cooperation is likely to continue to grow as the two countries have shared strategic interests. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on July 24, 2025.