BAKU, Azerbaijan - Slovakia plans to shift production of automatic mortar systems to Azerbaijan in stages under a framework agreement valued at €210 million, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák said.
Kaliňák told APA that the program covers about 100 automatic mortars and that the first Azerbaijan-produced example is scheduled to be presented on September 30 at the ADEX international defense exhibition in Baku, according to Vesti Baku.
Production to Move in Three Stages
Under the proposed localization plan, Slovak companies would supply the first third of the order while beginning to transfer technology to Azerbaijan, Kaliňák said.
Production of the second third would be divided equally between Azerbaijan and Slovakia. Manufacturing of the final third would then move fully to Azerbaijan.
Kaliňák said the project was proceeding on schedule, but he did not give a final timetable for completing all three phases.
Earlier reporting described the firm order as 96 SAM-120 systems, with the broader framework allowing for as many as 300. APA reported in February that negotiations were underway for the first 96 mortars. The newly cited figure of 100 appears to be a rounded description of that initial tranche.
Drone Technology and Possible Joint Venture
Kaliňák also said Slovakia was examining unmanned-system technologies developed in Azerbaijan. Slovak officials have selected several products of interest and hope to reach an agreement in the near future, he said.
A possible joint venture between companies from the two countries is also on the agenda. Kaliňák said he planned to discuss the idea on September 30 with Azerbaijan’s defense industry minister, Vugar Mustafayev. No terms for a venture have been announced.
The defense relationship rests on agreements signed in May 2024, when the two governments concluded a defense cooperation accord and a memorandum on military-technical cooperation. The Slovak Defense Ministry said at the time that cooperation could include weapons systems, ammunition, training and industrial development.
ADEX 2026 is scheduled to run from September 30 through October 2 at the Baku Expo Center, according to the exhibition organizer.