Sitalchay ( az, Sitalçay) Military Airbase is a

military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

located in the East of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, near the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. It is located 70 km North-West of the capital

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

in Sitalchay, a village and municipality in the

Khizi Rayon Khizi District ( az, Xızı rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the east of the country and belongs to the Absheron-Khizi Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Siyazan, Shabran, Quba, Shamakhi, G ...

. The airbase is fenced and guarded but has not been operational since 1992.

History

The Sitalchay air base was the location of the first

Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

Sukhoi Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: Грач (''rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Gro ...

unit. The first eleven production aircraft were assigned to the 80th or 60th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment, based at Sitalchay, in April 1981. In June 1981 the 200th Separate Assault Aviation Squadron was formed at Sitalchay and then deployed to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it became a base for a regiment of Su-25s of the 34th Air Army of the Soviet Air Forces. In August 1992, despite the provisions of the

Tashkent Treaty Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 2 ...

which directed an orderly transfer of ex-Soviet forces to the republics, Azeri troops seized the entire regiment and its aircraft.

Possible use by Israel

In March 2012, the magazine ''

Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

'' reported that the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

might be preparing to use the airbase, located 500 km from the Iranian border, for air strikes against the

nuclear program of Iran The nuclear program of Iran is an ongoing scientific effort by Iran to research nuclear technology that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran has several research sites, two uranium mines, a research reactor, and uranium processing facilit ...

. Since then some analysts as well as news agencies started presenting the issue as something confirmed. Although confirming that Israel is seeking such access, political circles in Azerbaijan deny such consent from Baku. Moreover, high-ranking politicians deny any possibility of using Azeri territory for any strike against Iran; a development that Iran sees as possible.

References

{{Reflist Azerbaijani Air Force bases Khizi District Soviet Air Force bases