Ethiopia has taken delivery of 12 Russian-made Su-35 fighter jets and will later receive four S-400 air defence systems from Moscow, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Wednesday, in a major step-up of the Horn of Africa country's military capabilities, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters
Abiy announced the delivery on X while in Moscow for the third Russia-Africa Summit. He said the jets were handed over under a prior agreement with the Russian government, described the Su-35s as 4++ generation aircraft, and said the deliveries marked a milestone in Ethiopia's efforts to strengthen national security and, in his words, pre-emptively deter aggression.
Addis Standard, reporting Abiy's statement, said he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for ensuring the aircraft arrived a year ahead of the agreed schedule, and quoted him saying that by equipping itself with the jets Ethiopia had taken the lead among Sub-Saharan African nations.
Source: Addis Standard
Why the purchase matters now
Reuters noted that Ethiopia faces multiple security challenges, including in the northern Tigray region, where a rebel alliance last month launched an offensive against the government, rekindling a war that killed hundreds of thousands of people between 2020 and 2022. In that conflict, Ethiopia's air power, including the widespread use of foreign-made drones, helped turn the tide of the fighting, Reuters said.
The renewed fighting also led to the severing of ties between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea. Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of backing the rebels, an allegation Eritrea denies, Reuters reported. Both claims are reported here as the positions of the two governments; neither has been independently verified in this reporting.
What was not disclosed
Abiy did not disclose the value of the agreement, when the four S-400 systems would be delivered, or where the aircraft and air-defence batteries would be based, Reuters said. Russia's state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec, responsible for Russian arms exports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.
Ethiopia has not said when the S-400 batteries will arrive or where the new jets will be stationed. The announcement was made at a Moscow summit where Russia is seeking to expand its ties across Africa, so further defence and trade announcements from the summit are possible before it closes on Thursday.