Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Rail Rzayev ( az, Rail Qurban oğlu Rzayev; March 10, 1945 – February 11, 2009) was the Commander of the

Azerbaijani Air Force Azerbaijani Air Forces and Air Defence often referred to as the Azerbaijani Air Force ( az, Azərbaycan hərbi hava qüvvələri) is the air force and air defence force of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. History The roots of the current organisat ...

from shortly after Azerbaijan's independence in the early 1990s, to his death in 2009.

Early life

Rzayev was born on March 10, 1945, in Salyan,

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. After completing his secondary education in

Sumgayit Sumgait (; az, Sumqayıt, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about away from the capital Baku. The city has a population of around 345,300, making it the second largest city in Azerbaijan after Ba ...

in 1962, he was enrolled in the Aircraft Electronics and Communication Systems (FRELA) school of the Soviet Aviation Academy named after Orzhenikidze. After graduating from the academy in 1966, he was directed to serve at

Baku Air Defense District The Baku Air Defence Army (russian: Бакинская армия ПВО) was a formation of the Soviet Air Defence Forces that existed in the Azerbaijan SSR from 1942-1945. History The Baku Air Defence Army was formed on the Eastern Front of Worl ...

. In Baku, he worked as the Senior Technician and then served as the Deputy Commander of a Division. In 1975, he entered the Zhukov Air and Space Defence Academy. Upon graduation he was appointed a Division Commander and from 1980 through 1992, he held several high-ranking positions at various military units of the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

Azerbaijani Air Force

In 1992, Rzayev started his career in

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...

. He was appointed the Chief of Department of Azerbaijani Air and Air Defense Forces. According to the Presidential Decree from 1993, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic and Commander of Azerbaijani Air and Air Defense Forces, a position which he held until his death in 2009. He was shot and killed outside his Baku home on February 11, 2009.

Ranks and awards

In 1994, Rzayev was promoted to

General Major Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, in 2002 he was given the rank of

. He's credited for his outstanding work in establishing and modernizing the Azerbaijani Air Force. He was awarded with

Azerbaijani Flag Order Azerbaijani Flag Order ( az, Azərbaycan Bayrağı Ordeni) is an award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History and status Azerbaijani Flag order was among several medals and orders, requested to be reviewed and created ...

and Veten Ughrunda Medal (In the Name of Motherland) for service to his country.

References

1945 births 2009 deaths 21st-century Azerbaijani Air Forces personnel Azerbaijani military personnel of the Nagorno-Karabakh War People murdered in Azerbaijan Deaths by firearm in Azerbaijan Assassinated Azerbaijani people Recipients of the Azerbaijani Flag Order People from Salyan, Azerbaijan Lieutenant generals {{Azerbaijan-bio-stub