Azerbaijani Armed Forces have received into service the first Polonez multiple rocket launch system, the Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan announced on 11 June.

On 11 June, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a new military unit of the Missile Troops of the Ministry of Defence. During the official ceremony, the newest Polonez systems were publicly shown for the first time.

Azerbaijani Armed Forces have formally received into service the first Polonez multiple rocket launch system that arrived in-country earlier in the year. The Polonez is a new Belarus’s multiple launch rocket system developed with assisted by China.

A large chunk of information about the system remains classified. It’s known, however, that “Polonez” uses 300-mm missiles with length exceeding 7 m. The stabilizers’ span is 0.62 m. The launcher unit comprising 8 rockets packaged in two four-rocket pods mounted on an MZKT-7930 vehicle.

More: Belarus test-fires Polonez multiple rocket launcher during exercise in Kazakhstan

Polonez system is designed to deliver strikes against enemy personnel in the open and in shelters as well as unarmored and armored fighting vehicles and special vehicles, artillery units, missile systems and air defense missile systems, aircraft at airfields. Polonez can deliver strikes as far as 50-200km with a high degree of precision.

More: New Belarus’s missile can reach over 280 kilometers

Observers describe the deal as a somewhat delayed answer by Baku to the supply by Russia of Iskander tactical ballistic missiles to Armenia. Relations between Baku and Yerevan remain tense over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.