Tel Aviv: Another step in the existing defence relations between Israel and Azerbaijan. The Israeli weapons company Ari Arms has launched local rifle production in Azerbaijan.
The project is a partnership between Ari Arms and Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence Industry.
The facility manufactures AR-15 platform rifles (specifically the OR -4 model), marking the first production of Western-standard rifles in Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev attended the official opening ceremony of the factory in early October 2026.
Ari Arms is a subsidiary of AS Holidays and established the plant to build local manufacturing capabilities and industrial independence in Azerbaijan.
Israel is a major weapon systems supplier of Azerbaijan. In recent years, Israeli defence companies sold billion of US $ worth of systems to the Azeri’s. These included advanced drones, loitering weapon systems and precision missiles.
Israeli technology has been visibly used by Azerbaijan in previous conflicts, including the 2020 and 2023 Karabakh wars with Armenia, often against Russian-supplied Armenian systems.
During the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Israeli weapon systems have been used on a wide scale by the Azeris. These included the Lora long range ground- ground missile made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Harop heavy loitering weapon system also made by IAI, and different types of loitering weapon system mainly those manufactured by Israeli company Uvision.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
