December 17 is the professional holiday of employees of the Ministry of Defense Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated November 10, 2009, December 17 is annually celebrated as a professional holiday for defense industry employees.
      
The history of the development of the defense industry of Azerbaijan is extensive and varied. Our people actively participated in many innovative works that are of particular importance in achieving a high level of global military-industrial science, technology, and production.
    
Solid condensed rocket fuel for the first Soviet rockets was created in Baku in 1932 based on condensed gasoline. Until recently, research work was carried out in Azerbaijan in the field of creating rocket fuel.
      
The creation by Azerbaijani scientists of a technology and device for the acquisition of toluene, the production of TNT used in ammunition, as well as the prevention of fuel freezing because of adding ready-made additives to fuels used in aviation and tanks, were considered one of the great innovations of military science during the war of 1941–1945.
     
After the election of Heydar Aliyev as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan in 1969, as in other areas of the republic’s economy, important work was carried out in the field of military industry. In 1974, the Azon plant was built and put into operation based on the Baku Special Design Bureau "Microcircuit Engineering", which was part of the Ministry of Electronics Industry of the USSR, and in 1975 - the Plant of Electronic Computers (Computers). In general, in 1970–1982, dozens of scientific and production enterprises for defense purposes were created on the territory of the republic.
      
To develop heavy engineering and the military-industrial complex in Azerbaijan, the five-year plan (1975–1980), approved by a resolution of the Central Committee Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), of June 27, 1976, provided for the creation of several large new military-industrial and scientific enterprises.
    
Based on this decision, three new enterprises in the radio engineering and instrument-making industry were created in Azerbaijan: Radio Machine-Building Plant (Robot plant); Construction of a branch of the Lianozov Electromechanical Plant in Terter and the construction of “Part II” of the Electronic Computers Plant, as well as the construction of four electronics factories: the Billur plant in Ganja, the Condesator plants in Khachmaz, Siyazan and Lankaran; also the creation of a branch of the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant (Alov) for the defense industry, the construction of the Alunit plant, the creation of new production places at the Baku Electromechanical Institute for the shipbuilding industry, and subsequently the creation of a Scientific Production Association (NPO on Russian) on its basis "Nord", expansion of production in the aviation industry and other works.
   
In the 1980s and 1990s, up to 4,000 scientists and specialists worked at “Nord” in the research, design, technological and experimental production areas. “Nord” was the head enterprise of the former Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry of the USSR to provide ships of the naval and civil fleet of the USSR Navy (surface ships, deep-sea vehicles, midget, and special submarines) with navigational equipment and instruments.
    
In 1982, based on the experimental production site and test site of the Institute for Space Research of Natural Resources, the Scientific Production Association (NPO) for space research was created.
    
It should be noted that the possibility of changing the production profile in accordance with war conditions was provided for during the construction of most machine-building plants built during that period. Also, several enterprises of the Leningrad Scientific Production Association “Long distance communication” (Дальняя связь) were created in Azerbaijan ("Ulduz", "Araz" plant, "Rabita" research institute, etc). The construction and commissioning of enterprises and factories created in these areas gave impetus to the development of the military-industrial complex and heavy engineering in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Dual-use products produced at large industrial enterprises built and put into operation played an important role in the development of the republic’s economy.
     
After 1993, the economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its constituent industries, including the defense industry, which were in decline in the first years of independence, began to revive. Enterprises of the military-industrial complex of the former USSR, subordinate to the current Ministry of Defense Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan, faced several problems after the collapse of the USSR. The State Committee for Special Engineering and Conversion was created in 1993 to restore the activities of these enterprises, specializing mainly in the production of defense products, and to achieve the development of the defense-industrial complex of the republic. Enterprises operating as part of the State Committee for Special Engineering and Conversion were engaged in the creation of defense products in accordance with State programs adopted on orders from the Ministry of Defense.
     
To strengthen the material and technical base of the army, which ensures the defense of our republic, Great Leader Heydar Aliyev in 2003 approved the “State Program for the Development of the Defense-Industrial Complex of the Republic for 2003–2005.” This program provided for reducing dependence on the outside world in the military sphere and providing our army with new products.
   
From this date, a new stage in the development of the defense industry entered the republic. In continuation of this policy, according to the Decree of President Ilham Aliyev dated December 16, 2005, the State Committee for Special Engineering and Conversion was abolished and on its basis the Ministry of Defense Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan was created.
   
Since its creation in 2005, the Ministry of Defense Industry has been fulfilling all the important tasks assigned to it with honor. The necessary types of locally produced weapons, military and special equipment are produced, the development of the capabilities of the Armed Forces is ensured in accordance with the law, as well as for conducting operations with new methods and forms. 
    
Under the decisive leadership of the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the Ministry of Defense Industry made its worthy contribution to the historical Victory of our Armed Forces in the Patriotic War, which played a major role in ensuring the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
     
To continuously supply the Armed Forces with weapons, ammunition, military special equipment, drones, and other products, within the framework of the counter-offensive Operation Iron Fist, subordinate institutions and enterprises of the Ministry of Defense Industry worked in enhanced mode. 72 employees of this government agency participated in bloody battles, three of its employees died heroically and rose to the top of martyrs, 7 employees were wounded and became veterans (ghazis).
     
Among the products manufactured by the Ministry of Defense Industry are the following: sniper rifles “Mubariz”, “Istiklal”, “Yalguzak”, “Yirtyji”, AK-74 and NATO standard assault rifles, various types of pistols, mortars, grenade launchers and their firing units, optical instruments , aerial bombs, "Matador" and armored vehicles of the "Marauder" type, reconnaissance and patrol vehicles "Gyurza", "Egreb" and "Byabir", drones of the "Orbiter-2M, 2B, 3B" and "Orbiter-4", "Aerostar" types -BP", "Zyarbya", etc.
     
The Ministry of Defense Industry conducts extensive research towards the creation of new weapons, signs joint agreements and creates new enterprises and projects with foreign companies. Defense products produced by our republic are exhibited at international exhibitions under the Azerbaijani brand and meet with great interest.
     
Today, the defense industry of Azerbaijan is on the path of rapid development. In addition to meeting our needs, the defense industry of Azerbaijan exports military products to many countries. All these successes were made possible thanks to the attention and care shown by President Ilham Aliyev to the development of the defense industry in accordance with modern challenges.

Recommended literature:

1. Süleymanov, Mehman Sirac oğlu. Azərbaycan ordusunun tarixi / M. S. Süleymanov ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələrinin Hərbi Akademiyası. V cild : 1991-2017 / elmi red.: Ə. Qasımov, Q. Hacıyev. - Bakı : Maarif, 2019. - 784 s.
2. Azərbaycan 2013-2003: əsrə bərabər illər. - ISBN 978-9952-404-59-3. Ordu quruculuğu: təhlükəsizlik və müstəqilliyin zəmanəti. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2013. - 160 s.
3. Сүлејманов, МеҺман Сираҹ оғлу. Һәрб гуруҹулуғунун јени мәрһәләси / М. С. Сүлејманов ; ред., өн сөз. мүәл. Н. Садыков. - Бакы : Һәрби нәшријјат, 1996. - 312 с.