Azerbaijan Becomes First Nation to Field Turkey’s SOM-Ş Cross-Platform Cruise Missile

Integration of Turkish-made SOM-Ş missiles marks a doctrinal shift in Azerbaijan’s airpower, bridging NATO and Soviet-era platforms while reshaping the South Caucasus security balance.

Azerbaijan has become the world’s first country to operationally deploy Turkey’s SOM-Ş (SOM Şahin) air-launched cruise missile, a milestone that redefines the region’s airpower dynamics and highlights Ankara’s growing defense export capabilities. The continued delivery of SOM-Ş missiles under a 2021 contract signals a profound doctrinal shift in Azerbaijan’s approach to air warfare.

Unlike traditional platform-centric doctrines, Azerbaijan is now emphasizing munitions-based dominance, where precision, standoff range, survivability, and cross-platform compatibility outweigh fleet size or pilot numbers. The SOM-Ş is unique in its ability to integrate seamlessly with both Western-oriented unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and Soviet-era strike aircraft, effectively bridging decades of technological and doctrinal divides.

From an operational perspective, the SOM-Ş enables Azerbaijan to impose multi-axis, layered attack dilemmas on adversaries, separating destructive power from limited high-value platforms. This increases sortie survivability while complicating enemy defensive decision-making. The missile’s integration also reflects the maturity of Azerbaijan’s command-and-control and ISR infrastructure, as effective standoff strike capability requires advanced target confirmation and mission planning.

Strategically, the SOM-Ş blurs the line between tactical and strategic strike capabilities, allowing Azerbaijan to threaten high-value military and dual-use targets without crossing escalation thresholds typically associated with ballistic missiles. This positions Azerbaijan for network-based, sustained competition rather than episodic conflict, consolidating battlefield advantages gained during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Historical Context of the Türkiye–Azerbaijan Missile Partnership

Azerbaijan’s pursuit of the SOM family of cruise missiles stems from its post-Soviet need to modernize armed forces amid chronic instability and shifting alliances. Turkey emerged as the natural partner, combining NATO membership, cultural ties, and a maturing defense industry willing to adapt systems to Baku’s requirements.

Momentum accelerated in the mid-2010s as Turkish precision-guided munitions proved effective in multiple theaters. A symbolic milestone came on June 26, 2018, when Azerbaijan displayed a SOM-B1 replica during a military parade in Baku, signaling deterrence intent and commitment to long-range strike capability.

The official export contract, signed on February 19, 2021, was valued at US$300–400 million and finalized after Azerbaijan’s battlefield successes in 2020. This agreement reflects years of joint testing, doctrinal alignment, and integration planning, ensuring the missiles are not only delivered but fully absorbed into Azerbaijan’s operational ecosystem.

SOM-Ş: Azerbaijan’s Strategic Cruise Missile for Flexible, Cross-Platform Airpower

Turkey’s SOM-Ş missile family delivers precision strike capability across NATO UAVs and Soviet-era aircraft, reshaping the South Caucasus security balance

The SOM-Ş (SOM Şahin) cruise missile represents a new generation of autonomous, low-profile air-launched weapons designed to penetrate modern integrated air defense systems and strike high-value targets deep inside adversary territory. For Azerbaijan, the system provides a decisive leap in long-range precision strike capability, fully aligned with its operational needs in the South Caucasus.