ETHIOPIA ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF 12 RUSSIAN Su-35 FIGHTER JETS AND PLANS TO RECEIVE FOUR S-400 AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced a major military deal with Russia involving 12 Su-35 fighter jets and plans to acquire four batteries of the advanced S-400 air defence system.
Speaking during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28, Abiy thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for expediting the delivery of the fighter jets by one year.
However, the delivery figures remain unclear. Russia’s state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, told Reuters that an initial batch of two Su-35 aircraft had been delivered, while Ethiopia announced a total acquisition of 12 jets.
No official delivery schedule or deployment locations have been disclosed for the planned S-400 systems.
The reported military expansion comes amid renewed instability in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, ongoing insurgency in Amhara, and rising tensions with neighbouring Eritrea, potentially reshaping the military balance in the Horn of Africa.
