On 26 June 2018, Azerbaijan showcased a Roketsan SOM air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) as part of its annual military parade in its capital, Baku.[1] Operational since 2012, the SOM is a near-600 kg ALCM with a range of more than 250 km (but certainly less than the 300 km limit set by the Missile Technology Control Regime or MTCR). Currently, the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) deploys the SOM from its F-16C/Ds and F/A-4s, though a compact variant – i.e. SOM-J – is also being readied for deployment from the F-35 Lightning II.
Azerbaijan had reportedly ordered the SOM from Turkey in November 2017.[2] The Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force (AAF) is expected to deploy the SOM from its existing platforms, notably the MiG-29.[3] The SOM will offer the AAF with strong stand-off range strike capabilities against fixed and, potentially, moving targets alike. The SOM-A and SOM-B1/B2 rely on satellite (GPS)-aided inertial navigation systems (INS) for guidance, though the SOM-B1/B2 also have imaging infrared (IIR) seekers (ostensibly for moving targets).[4]
