Ethiopia inducts new Su-30 fighters, Akinci UAVs

One of two new Su-30 combat aircraft received by Ethiopia on 16 January. (FDRE Defense Force)

Ethiopia has received new Sukhoi Su-30 ‘Flanker' fighters and Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (FDRE Defense Force) reported the arrival of an undisclosed number of Su-30s on 16 January, with the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reporting the arrival of an undisclosed number of Akıncı UAVs on the same day.

“We will continue to be equipped with modern weapons that can defend our airspace from any attack,” Chief of General Staff of the FDRE Defense Force, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, was quoted as saying in a post published on the force's official Facebook account. “The FDRE air force has equipped [itself with] the most modern first round Su-30 fighter jets and [Akıncı] strategic unmanned [aircraft].”

Images posted by the FDRE Defense Force showed two twin-seat Su-30 aircraft (tail numbers 2401 and 2402) in a desert-style camouflage paint scheme parked alongside what are likely existing Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) Su-27 aircraft in an air defence blue camouflage scheme. As 2401 and 2402 are the subject of the images posted by the FDRE Defense Force, it is probable that these are the two new jets.