BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Italian Leonardo company Stefano Pontecorvo mulled cooperation prospects, Trend reports via the minister's tweet.
According to Nabiyev, the parties explored potential cooperation in the areas of cybersecurity, space activities, and transportation.
Leonardo is Italy's largest defense product manufacturing company. The company also possesses civil technologies, including technologies for smart cities, artificial satellite production, aerospace services, and urban transport system management.
Back in June, it was reported that Azerbaijan is purchasing C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft produced by Leonardo S.p.A.
Deployed in the challenging geographic and operating conditions, C-27J Spartan is an aircraft capable of executing defense and civil protection missions.
The cost of one C-27J Spartan aircraft is $65-70 million.
Initially linked to the energy sectors, the collaboration between Italy and Azerbaijan is now also extended to defense industry products thanks to the valuable contribution provided by the Italian Ministry of Defense working group.
The program for the purchase of the C-27J from Leonardo, a tactical transport aircraft with many years of proven experience in the most challenging operational scenarios, was finalized through a technical round table between the two countries' defense ministries.