Manufacturer catalog

Azad Systems

Azad Systems is an Azerbaijani defense-industrial UAV builder associated with licensed assembly and production of the Orbiter and Aerostar unmanned-aircraft families.

3 weapons

Azad Systems is the catalog facet used for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense Industry production branch that appears in public reporting as a joint venture with Aeronautics Defense Systems. That relationship is most visible in early production reports for the Orbiter 2M and Aerostar families and in later coverage of additional UAV programs.

For this catalog, the builder profile links the cataloged Orbiter 2 and Orbiter 3 entries to the company history, while keeping the public record focused on sourced manufacturing context, product milestones, and the limited open-web footprint around the enterprise.

Unmanned aerial vehiclesLicensed UAV assemblyDefense-industry manufacturingTraining and production support

Notable Systems

Aeronautics Orbiter 2, Mini unmanned aerial system, Aircraft & UAVs

Orbiter 2M

Mini unmanned aerial system

FlightGlobal reported that Azad Systems began producing the Orbiter 2M as part of the company's early UAV output.

Sources: Orbiter 2M production report

Aerostar

Early reporting on Azad Systems described Aerostar as another UAV type assembled or produced at the Baku-area plant.

Sources: Orbiter 2M production report
Aeronautics Orbiter 3 UAV, Small tactical unmanned aircraft system, Aircraft & UAVs

Orbiter 3

Small tactical unmanned aircraft system

A 2014 FlightGlobal report said Azerbaijan-based Azad Systems may soon begin manufacturing the Orbiter 3.

Sources: Orbiter 3 report

Zarba UAVs

A 2016 presidential event covered the company's presentation of Zarba unmanned aerial vehicles.

Sources: Zarba UAVs

Manufacturer History

  1. Plant opened in Buzovna

    President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the new AZAD Systems Co. plant in Baku's Buzovna settlement.

    Sources: Plant opening

  2. UAV production begins

    FlightGlobal reported that production started at Azad Systems, a joint venture between Azerbaijan's defence ministry and Aeronautics.

    Sources: Orbiter 2M production report

  3. Orbiter 3 manufacturing discussed

    FlightGlobal reported that Azerbaijan-based Azad Systems may soon begin manufacturing the Orbiter 3.

    Sources: Orbiter 3 report

  4. Zarba UAVs presented

    The President's office and Azerbaijan's official news agencies covered AZAD Systems Co. presenting Zarba UAVs.

    Sources: Zarba UAVs

  5. Training center opened

    The Ministry of Defense Industry said an Azad Systems UAV specialist training center opened for operator and technical staff instruction.

    Sources: Training center

Website links
Official websiteMinistry news archivePresident.az photo article

Public sources variously describe the company as Azad Systems, AZAD Systems Co., a Ministry of Defense Industry production branch, or a joint venture with Aeronautics. The profile normalizes the catalog facet to Azad Systems and keeps relationship claims limited to sourced reports.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Official websitePublisher: Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan Republic | Note: Supports the ministry's official identity and the company context around the defense-industrial structure that Azad Systems sits within. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Plant openingPublisher: President of Azerbaijan | Note: Supports the 2011 AZAD Systems Co. plant opening in Baku's Buzovna settlement and the builder's early production-site context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Orbiter 2M production reportPublisher: FlightGlobal | Note: Supports the 2011 report that Azad Systems began production as a joint venture and that Orbiter 2M and Aerostar were among the products. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Orbiter 3 reportPublisher: FlightGlobal | Note: Supports the 2014 report that Azerbaijan-based Azad Systems may soon begin manufacturing the Orbiter 3. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Zarba UAVsPublisher: President of Azerbaijan | Note: Supports the 2016 public presentation of Zarba UAVs by the AZAD Systems Co. production branch of the Ministry of Defense Industry. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Training centerPublisher: Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan Republic | Note: Supports the 2018 opening of the Azad Systems UAV specialist training center and its operator-training context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Commons AZAD Systems imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for the AZAD Systems event photo used on the builder profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

3/3
Aeronautics Orbiter 1K, Class 1 loitering munition UAS, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAeronautics Orbiter 1KClass 1 loitering munition UASBuilt in: Israel / AzerbaijanThe Aeronautics Orbiter 1K is an Israeli electric loitering munition in the Orbiter family, now marketed by Aeronautics as the Orbiter 2 LM. It combines a mini-UAS launch and recovery footprint with EO/IR target search and a roughly 3 kg fragmentation warhead. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 1K systems and local derivative versions alongside other Israeli and Turkish unmanned weapons during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Aeronautics Orbiter 2, Mini unmanned aerial system, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAeronautics Orbiter 2Mini unmanned aerial systemBuilt in: Israel / AzerbaijanThe Aeronautics Orbiter 2 is an Israeli fixed-wing mini-UAS for tactical ISR, target acquisition, surveillance, and payload-flexible mission support. Current Aeronautics material presents the Orbiter 2 ISR as a 13 kg, catapult-launched system with EO/IR, electronic-intelligence, communications-intelligence, electronic-warfare, video-processing, and jammer payload options, while Azerbaijan assembled Orbiter-family UAVs through Azad Systems and fielded Orbiter-2 reconnaissance drones in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Aeronautics Orbiter 3 UAV, Small tactical unmanned aircraft system, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAeronautics Orbiter 3 UAVSmall tactical unmanned aircraft systemBuilt in: Israel; AzerbaijanThe Aeronautics Orbiter 3 is a fully electric, runway-independent small tactical UAS built for ISTAR missions and modular payloads. Aeronautics now advertises up to 10 hours of endurance, launcher-and-parachute recovery or an add-on VTOL kit, and payload options that include EO/IR, ELINT, COMINT, EW, SAR, VMD, and MTI. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 3s in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and Aeronautics later announced Greek procurement activity in 2023.