Azerbaijan has purchased Israeli-made I-Derby ER air-to-air missiles, the unofficial Azerbaijani Telegram channels reported on 28 October.

The missiles will be mounted on MiG-29 fighter jets of the Azerbaijani Air Force, the report said. It added that I-Derby ER missiles were the most advanced version of missiles in the Derby range produced by Israeli defence company Rafael. The channel provided no other details of the purchase.

In the meantime, the commander of the Azerbaijani Air Force, Lt-Gen Ramiz Tahirov, has said that Azerbaijan is holding talks on the purchase of new military aircraft.

"Experts have studied the properties of the aircraft offered to us. The public will be informed soon about what kind of aircraft will be purchased," Tahirov said.

Azerbaijan has also expressed interest in purchasing JF-17 Thunder aircraft, Pakistani Dunya News TV website said on 1 November.

"The purchase of JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan is a key item on our agenda," Col Mehman Novruzov, defence attaché of the Azerbaijani embassy to Pakistan, said.

He said that his country wants to buy state-of-the-art JF-17 Thunder Block 3 aircraft from Pakistan. Novruzov added that Azerbaijan was working together with Pakistan to modernise its Air Force, the report said.