Força Aérea Etíope
The Ethiopian Air Force, which began flying in 1929 and dates its founding to 28 November 1935, is one of Africa’s oldest air arms: trained by Swedes, equipped by Americans and then by Moscow, it won the air war of the Ogaden in 1977, claimed Eritrean MiG-29s with Su-27s in 1999, and since 2021 has turned to armed drones, whose strikes in Tigray and Amhara UN bodies and rights groups have linked to heavy civilian deaths.
The Ethiopian Air Force story: a Swedish school, the Ogaden air war and armed drones over Tigray
1929–1941: a Potez, an American commander and a war without guns
Ethiopian military flying began with one aircraft. A Potez 25-A2 reached Addis Ababa on 18 August 1929 and a Junkers W 33 followed on 5 September, according to Wikipedia’s history, which dates the air arm to 19 August 1929; the state news agency ENA instead gives 28 November 1935 as the day the air force was officially established as a national institution, and that is the date the service now celebrates. When Italy invaded on 3 October 1935 the emperor had roughly two dozen aircraft, none of them armed. The American aviator John Robinson, made commander of the air arm in 1935, flew reconnaissance and liaison sorties and escaped six Italian fighters; the Swede Carl Gustaf von Rosen flew Red Cross ambulance missions and suffered mustard-gas burns. Against the Regia Aeronautica, which used gas from the air, the little force could do little, and Italy occupied the country in 1936.
1944–1960: the Swedish school and the Saab bombers
Rebuilding after liberation leaned on two foreigners. Robinson came back in 1944 to set up a pilot school, and von Rosen served as chief instructor of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force from 1945 to 1956, with a Swedish mission behind him. Sweden supplied the hardware too: Wikipedia, citing the historian Tom Cooper, says Ethiopia bought 47 Saab B 17A dive-bombers, which served from 1947 until 1977, alongside Saab Safir trainers and C-47 transports; Fairey Fireflies arrived in 1951. A US Military Assistance Advisory Group took over from 1953, bringing T-33 jet trainers in 1957 and 14 F-86F Sabres in 1960. That December the air force sided with the emperor against the coup attempt of 13–17 December 1960, and Ethiopian Sabres also served with the UN operation in the Congo, although the size and dates of that detachment were not confirmed in the sources reached.
1960–1978: Sabres, F-5s and the Ogaden air war
The American years made the air force the strongest in the Horn of Africa. In the border war of February–April 1964 F-86s and T-33s struck Somali positions and towns including Feerfeer, Galkayo and Hargeisa while Somalia had only Vampire trainers. Ten F-5As and two F-5Bs followed from 1966, but of 14 F-5Es agreed in 1975 only eight were delivered before Washington embargoed the rest. Those eight mattered. When Somalia invaded the Ogaden in July 1977, F-5Es flew air superiority and F-5As, Canberras and Sabres struck ground targets. Wikipedia quotes the 9th Fighter Squadron’s record as 13 MiG-17s and 12 MiG-21s shot down with Sidewinders between 20 July and 1 September 1977, and credits the pilot Legesse Tefera with six or seven; these are Ethiopian claims. The same article puts losses for the whole war at 23 Ethiopian and 34 Somali aircraft.
1977–1991: Soviet MiGs and the bombing of the north
The Ogaden also changed the air force’s patron. After the revolution of 1974 the Derg turned to Moscow, and during the war the Soviet Union mounted a huge airlift: 48 MiG-21MF and MiG-21UM fighters arrived in 1977–78, MiG-23s and Mi-24 gunships followed, and Cuban and Soviet pilots flew some of the first missions. The new fleet was then turned on the insurgencies in the north. From May 1978 the air force flew saturation bombing in Eritrea from a new airfield at Mekelle, hitting towns, villages and herds as well as rebel positions; on 22 June 1988 MiGs and gunships attacked the market at Hawzen in Tigray, killing 1,800–2,500 people according to the historian Gebru Tareke and Human Rights Watch, and in February 1990 cluster bombs killed hundreds of civilians in Massawa. In 2008 an Ethiopian court sentenced Derg commanders to death for Hawzen; the sentences were commuted in 2011.
1998–2022: Su-27s over Eritrea, drones over Tigray
The regime fell in 1991, and the air force had to be rebuilt again when war with Eritrea broke out in May 1998. Ethiopia bought eight surplus Su-27s, including two two-seaters, for a reported 150 million dollars; the first arrived in December 1998. Wikipedia records Su-27s shooting down Eritrean MiG-29s on 25 and 26 February 1999, with two more claimed in May 2000 that Eritrea denies; Ethiopia claimed seven in all, of which two to four are confirmable. Ethiopia lost MiG-21s, MiG-23s, a Su-25 and Mi-24/35s. From 2006 to 2009 the air force supported the intervention in Somalia. In the Tigray war of November 2020 to November 2022 it bombed TPLF targets and, from 2021, flew armed drones. Human Rights Watch called the drone strike on the Dedebit displaced persons’ camp on 7 January 2022, which killed at least 57 people, an apparent war crime; the government denied targeting civilians.
2023–2026: Su-30s, Yak-130s, a ninetieth birthday and war again
Since 2023 the air force has been fighting at home again, now against the Fano militias in Amhara. The UN human rights office said in 2024 that government forces had used drones against civilians there, and the UN counted more than 300 civilians killed by drone strikes that year, as cited by Wikipedia; the government denies targeting civilians. Modernisation continued at the same time: six ex-Indian Su-30Ks were shown on 16 January 2024 according to defenceWeb (the IISS counts two), Akinci drones had been seen since November 2023, and Yak-130 trainers arrived by January 2026. Abiy Ahmed presided over the ninetieth anniversary on 24 January 2026. Two days later fighting resumed with Tigrayan forces, and on 25 September 2026 the UN High Commissioner, Volker Türk, said ENDF air strikes, some by drone, had reportedly hit five schools in Tigray. Whether that becomes a second Tigray war was not clear at the time of writing.
The Ethiopian Air Force in numbers
Serviço
- Nome nativo
- የኢትዮጵያ አየር ኃይልAmharic, the federal working language; spelled this way by the state news agency ENA. Romanised Ye-Ityōṗṗyā āyer ḫayil (Wikipedia). No official air force website was found
- Fundada
- 28 November 1935 (official); flying from 1929ENA dates the official establishment to 28 November 1935 (Hidar 20, 1928 in the Ethiopian calendar), and the service celebrated its 88th, 89th and 90th anniversaries on that count. Wikipedia gives 19 August 1929, the day after the first aircraft, a Potez 25-A2, reached Addis Ababa
- Parte de
- Ethiopian National Defense ForceUnder the Chief of the General Staff, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula; Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is commander-in-chief
- Sede
- Bishoftu (Debre Zeyit), Harar MedaWikipedia names Harar Meda at Bishoftu as the main base; the 90th anniversary events were held in Bishoftu
- Comandante
- Lt. Gen. Yilma MerdasaAppointed by Abiy Ahmed on 21 June 2018; still in post in August 2025 according to ENA
- Commander-in-chief
- Prime Minister Abiy AhmedPresided over the 90th anniversary ceremony on 24 January 2026 and opened the Aviation Expo the day before
Força
- Pessoal
- 10,000+ (unverified)Figure given by Wikipedia without an official source; the government does not publish one
- Aeronaves de combate
-
- Su-27 — 16 fighters plus 6 listed as trainers (FlightGlobal 2025)
- Su-30K — 2 (IISS) to 6 (defenceWeb)
- MiG-23 — 9
- Su-25 — 1 (FlightGlobal) to 3 (Wikipedia)
Sources disagree, and how many are airworthy is not published. FlightGlobal’s 2025 list does not yet include the Su-30Ks
- Transporte
-
- An-12 — 4
- An-32 — 1
- C-130B/E — 2
- DHC-5 — 1
- DHC-6 — 1
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025; Wikipedia also lists three King Airs
- Helicópteros
-
- Mi-8/17 — 15
- Mi-24/35 — 7
- SA316 Alouette III — 3
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025; Wikipedia gives 14, 6 and 3. The army flies eight UH-1Hs of its own
- Treinadores
-
- L-39 — 15
- G 120TP — 12
- Yak-130 — 6 reported, 4 more on order
L-39 and G 120TP from FlightGlobal 2025 (Wikipedia: 10 and 6); Yak-130 figure from Russian sources quoted by Wikipedia
- Drones armados
-
- Bayraktar TB2 — 4 delivered 2021
- Bayraktar Akinci — número não publicado
- Wing Loong (China) — number not published
- Mohajer-6 (Iran) — reported
None of these numbers has been published by the government; they come from defenceWeb, Janes and open-source imagery as summarised by Wikipedia
Infraestrutura
- Base aérea principal
- Harar Meda, BishoftuAbout 45 km south-east of Addis Ababa; home of the headquarters and, according to satellite imagery cited by Wikipedia, of TB2 drones
- Other bases named in sources
-
- Dire Dawa — MiG-21 regiment until the 2000s
- Bahir Dar — TB2 drones (defenceWeb)
- Mekelle — airfield built 1978
Wikipedia says there are four smaller bases besides Harar Meda without naming them all; current dispositions are not published
- Air divisions
- At least twoENA names Brig. Gen. Brook Seifu as commander of the First Air Division in December 2025; the wider structure is not published
- Local aircraft work
- Tsehay 2 shown in 2024ENA showed the locally made Tsehay 2 ready to fly at the 89th anniversary; Wikipedia describes the Tsehay as a surveillance aircraft
- Foreign use of Ethiopian bases
- US AC-130s from Dire Dawa, 2006–2007Flew in support of the Ethiopian intervention in Somalia until Ethiopia stopped them after the operations became public
How the Ethiopian Air Force is organised
One of the services of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, with its headquarters and main base at Harar Meda in Bishoftu and air divisions of which ENA names the First. The Su-27, 16 fighters plus six in FlightGlobal’s trainer list, is the front-line fighter, joined in 2024 by ex-Indian Su-30Ks, two according to the IISS and six according to defenceWeb, and since 2021 by Turkish, Chinese and Iranian armed drones. The government does not publish its order of battle or which units are based where.
Força Aérea Etíope
One of the services of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, with its headquarters and main base at Harar Meda in Bishoftu, formerly Debre Zeyit. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Yilma Merdasa, then a brigadier general, as commander on 21 June 2018, and ENA still named him, now a lieutenant general, in August 2025. The Prime Minister is commander-in-chief and Field Marshal Birhanu Jula Chief of the General Staff.
First Air Division
ENA named Brig. Gen. Brook Seifu as commander of the First Air Division in December 2025, which implies at least two air divisions. The wider structure, the divisions’ units and their bases are not published.
Aeronaves de caça e ataque
The Su-27 is the main fighter: FlightGlobal lists 16 plus six in its trainer list, bought second-hand from 1998. Ex-Indian Su-30Ks were shown on 16 January 2024, two according to the IISS and six according to defenceWeb, beside nine MiG-23BN fighter-bombers and one to three Su-25s. The squadrons that fly them and how many aircraft are airworthy are not published.
Drone force
Four Bayraktar TB2s were delivered in November 2021, and defenceWeb reported at least four deployed at Bahir Dar and Harar Meda; it also reports Akinci drones since November 2023 and Wing Loong and Mohajer-6 drones since 2021. Unit designations and numbers are not published. UN bodies and rights groups have linked drone strikes in Tigray and Amhara to heavy civilian deaths; the government denies targeting civilians.
Academia da Força Aérea Etíope
ENA reported a graduation of pilots in training, transport and helicopter streams at the Bishoftu headquarters on 25 June 2022. FlightGlobal lists 15 L-39s and 12 G 120TPs; Yak-130s, six according to Russian sources quoted by Wikipedia, arrived by January 2026 to replace the L-39.
Transport fleet
FlightGlobal’s 2025 list gives four An-12s, two C-130B/E Hercules, one An-32, one DHC-5 Buffalo and one DHC-6 Twin Otter; Wikipedia adds three King Airs, one used for VIP flights. The units that fly them are not published.
Frota de helicópteros
FlightGlobal lists 15 Mi-8/17 transports, seven Mi-24/35 gunships and three Alouette IIIs (Wikipedia: 14, 6 and 3). The army flies eight UH-1Hs of its own. Units and bases are not published.
What the Ethiopian Air Force flies today
Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.
| Tipo | Papel | Em serviço | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhoi Su-27S/P and Su-27UBEm serviço | caça de superioridade aérea | 22 | 1998 | FlightGlobal 2025: 16 in the combat list plus 6 in the trainer list; Wikipedia gives up to 17 bought second-hand in two batches. The figures overlap and how many fly is not published. | ||
| Sukhoi Su-30KEm serviço | Caça multifuncional | 2 | 2024 | IISS Military Balance 2025 counts 2 (via Wikipedia); defenceWeb reported six handed over in January 2024. The published range is 2–6. | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23BNEm serviço | Caça-bombardeiro | 9 | FlightGlobal 2025 and Wikipedia both give 9; serviceability not published. | |||
| Sukhoi Su-25TK and Su-25UBKEm serviço | apoio aéreo aproximado | 1 | 2000 | FlightGlobal 2025 lists 1 (in its trainer list); Wikipedia gives 3 Su-25TK including one trainer. Range 1–3. | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-130Em serviço | Jato de treinamento avançado e ataque leve | 6 | 2026 | Six in service and four on order according to Russian sources quoted by Wikipedia; not confirmed by the Ethiopian government. | ||
| Aero L-39C AlbatrosEm serviço | Treinador a jato | 15 | FlightGlobal 2025: 15; Wikipedia: 10. | |||
| Grob G 120TPEm serviço | Instrutor básico | 12 | FlightGlobal 2025: 12; Wikipedia: 6. | |||
| SIAI-Marchetti SF.260TPEm serviço | Instrutor básico | 4 | Wikipedia lists 4; FlightGlobal 2025 does not list the type, so it may have been retired. | |||
| Antonov An-12Em serviço | Transporte | 4 | FlightGlobal 2025 e Wikipédia. | |||
| Antonov An-32Em serviço | Transporte | 1 | FlightGlobal 2025 e Wikipédia. | |||
| Lockheed C-130B/E HerculesEm serviço | Transporte tático | 2 | FlightGlobal 2025 e Wikipédia. | |||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-5 BuffaloEm serviço | Transporte | 1 | FlightGlobal 2025 only. | |||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterEm serviço | Transporte leve | 1 | FlightGlobal 2025 and Wikipedia: 1 with the air force; the army has 3. | |||
| Beechcraft King AirEm serviço | Liaison and VIP transport | 3 | Wikipedia only; not in FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| Mil Mi-8 e Mi-17Em serviço | helicóptero de transporte | 15 | FlightGlobal 2025: 15; Wikipedia: 14. | |||
| Mil Mi-24 e Mi-35Em serviço | Helicóptero de ataque | 7 | 1977 | FlightGlobal 2025: 7; Wikipedia: 6 Mi-35. | ||
| Aérospatiale SA316 Alouette IIIEm serviço | Helicóptero leve | 3 | FlightGlobal 2025 e Wikipédia. | |||
| Baykar Bayraktar TB2Em serviço | drone armado | 4 | 2021 | Four ordered in August 2021 and delivered in November 2021 (Wikipedia); defenceWeb reported at least four at Bahir Dar and Harar Meda. Later numbers not published. | ||
| Baykar Bayraktar AkinciEm serviço | Armed long-endurance drone | 2023 | ||||
| AVIC Wing LoongEm serviço | drone armado | 2021 | Wikipedia lists 2 Wing Loong II; defenceWeb confirms Wing Loong use since 2021 without a number. | |||
| Qods Mohajer-6Em serviço | drone armado | 2021 | ||||
| Tsehay 2Em serviço | Light aircraft (locally made) | 2 | 2024 | Wikipedia lists 2 with more planned; ENA does not give a number. |
Sob encomenda
| Tipo | Encomendado | Primeira entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakovlev Yak-130Sob encomenda | 4 | 2026 | Four more after six delivered by January 2026, according to Russian sources quoted by Wikipedia; not confirmed by Ethiopia. | |
| Sukhoi Su-30KSob encomenda | 2024 | Wikipedia lists six on order beyond the two counted by the IISS; defenceWeb reported six already handed over in January 2024. Whether any remain to be delivered is unclear.
MaisWikipedia also lists a Su-35 order, which was not corroborated and is left out here. |
Every type the Ethiopian Air Force has retired
18 types, from the Potez 25-A2 to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF, MiG-21UM and MiG-21bis. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.
| Tipo | Papel | Pico | Servido | Substituído por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF, MiG-21UM and MiG-21bis | Lutador | 1977–2014 | Su-27 | 48 MiG-21MF/UM in 1977–78, more in 1982–83 (reports range from 50 to 150) and 30 MiG-21bis in 1986–88. The total is uncertain. | ||
| Saab B 17A | Dive-bomber and reconnaissance | 47 | 1947–1977 | 47 bought (Cooper, cited by Wikipedia). | ||
| Potez 25-A2 | Primeiro avião militar | 4 | 1929–1936 | Four Potez 25s were among the roughly two dozen aircraft of 1935 (Wikipedia). | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F | Caça-bombardeiro | |||||
| Northrop F-5E Tiger II | Lutador | 8 | 1976– | MiG-21 | 14 F-5Es and 3 F-5Fs agreed in 1975; only 8 F-5Es delivered, the rest embargoed and passed to a USAF aggressor squadron. | |
| Northrop F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter | Caça-bombardeiro | 12 | 1966– | 10 F-5As and 2 F-5Bs. | ||
| North American F-86F Sabre | Lutador | 14 | 1960– | F-5 | 14 acquired in 1960. | |
| Lockheed T-33A | Treinador a jato | 1957– | ||||
| Trovão T-28 norte-americano | Treinador e ataque leve | 8 | 1961– | Eight in service in 1977 according to Wikipedia. | ||
| English Electric Canberra B.52 | Bombardeiro | 2 | Two in service in 1977 according to Wikipedia; the number bought was not confirmed. | |||
| Saab 91 Safir | Treinador | |||||
| Fairey Firefly | Lutador | 1951– | ||||
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | Transporte | |||||
| Douglas C-54, Fairchild C-119 e de Havilland Dove | Transporte | |||||
| Antonov An-26 | Transporte | |||||
| Mil Mi-6 and Mi-14 | Heavy-lift and amphibious helicopters | |||||
| Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma | helicóptero de transporte | |||||
| Junkers W 33c | Transporte | 1929– |
Where the Ethiopian Air Force flies from
Os pinos pretos representam bases ativas, os pinos ocos representam aeródromos que foram desativados. Harar Meda at Bishoftu has been the main base since 1946, when the air arm left Lideta in Addis Ababa to the new Ethiopian Airlines; Dire Dawa, the second air base, was reached by Somali tanks on 17 August 1977 but did not fall. defenceWeb names Bahir Dar as a TB2 drone base; Gode, Jijiga, Kebri Dahar, Mekelle and Arba Minch are listed for their history, and Arba Minch’s only military residents were American Reaper drones. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
Etiópia
One of the 9 bases above sits outside Ethiopia, so the world map has to pull back until the home airfields cannot be told apart. The same pins again, without the overseas base.
| Base | OACI | Status | Pista | Unidades e aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahir Dar Airportair force useAmhara Region | HABD | Ativo |
|
|
| Dire DawaDire Dawa (cidade com carta régia) | HADR | Ativo | 15/332,679 m |
|
| Harar MedaRegião de Oromia (Bishoftu, anteriormente Debre Zeyit) | HAHM | Ativo | 16/341.811 m |
|
Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.
Who is stationed where in the Ethiopian Air Force
Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. The government publishes no order of battle: the last numbered units in the sources are the 3rd Squadron, whose Saab B 17s were stood down at Dire Dawa in 1977, and the MiG-21 regiments a 2007 order of battle lists at Dire Dawa and Debre Zeyit. The American gunship and Reaper detachments that flew from Ethiopian airfields are listed and marked as not Ethiopian. Where a unit’s designation or base is not published, the entry says so.
- Academia da Força Aérea EtíopeTreinamento de voo · ativo
- Aeronaves de treinamento, transporte e helicópteros
- Elemento de drone Bayraktar TB2Armed drone unit · active
- Baykar Bayraktar TB2
- Escola de voo da Força Aérea Imperial Etíope (missão sueca)1946–1956
- Saab 91 Safir, Saab B 17A
- Regimento aéreo de MiG-21 em Debre Zeyit (número não divulgado)
- MiG-21MF/UM/bis
- 3º Esquadrão
- Saab B 17A
- 3rd Air Regiment
- MiG-21
- US gunship detachment (foreign)2006–2007
- Lockheed AC-130 and US helicopters
- Elemento de drone Bayraktar TB2Armed drone unit · active
- Baykar Bayraktar TB2
Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.
Ethiopian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
18 August: the first aircraft, a Potez 25-A2, reaches Addis Ababa; a Junkers W 33 follows on 5 September.
John Robinson is made commander of the air arm. 3 October: Italy invades. 28 November: the date the air force now marks as its official founding.
Robinson returns to set up a pilot school; from 1945 Carl Gustaf von Rosen is chief instructor of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (to 1956).
The first of 47 Saab B 17A bombers enter service; Fairey Fireflies follow in 1951.
First jets: T-33A trainers under US military aid. Fourteen F-86F Sabres follow in 1960.
13–17 December: the air force sides with the emperor against the coup attempt.
8 February–2 April: border war with Somalia; Sabres and T-33s strike Somali towns including Hargeisa.
First of 10 F-5As and 2 F-5Bs delivered; eight F-5E Tiger IIs follow in 1976, the rest of the 1975 order embargoed.
13 July: Somalia invades the Ogaden and von Rosen is killed at Gode. F-5Es claim Somali MiGs; the Soviet airlift brings MiG-21s.
March: the Ogaden war ends. From May the air force bombs Eritrea from a new airfield at Mekelle.
22 June: MiGs and gunships attack the market at Hawzen in Tigray; 1,800–2,500 killed according to historians and HRW.
May: war with Eritrea; Ethiopian jets raid Asmara airport on 5–6 June. December: the first Su-27 arrives.
25 and 26 February: Su-27s shoot down Eritrean MiG-29s, according to Ethiopian claims recorded by Wikipedia.
24 December: air strikes open the intervention in Somalia, including on Mogadishu airport.
4 November: air strikes begin in the Tigray war; 29 November: a MiG-23 is lost near Abiy Addi.
7 January: a TB2 strike on the Dedebit displaced persons’ camp kills at least 57 (HRW). 2 November: Pretoria cessation of hostilities.
16 January: Su-30Ks shown at a ceremony; Akinci drones in service. Drone strikes in Amhara draw UN criticism.
January: Yak-130s reported delivered; 24 January: 90th anniversary. From 26 January fighting with Tigrayan forces; 25 September: OHCHR reports ENDF drone strikes on schools in Tigray.
Todas as guerras em que a Força Aérea Etíope lutou.
Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.
- Segunda Guerra Ítalo-Etíope 1935–1936 Unarmed reconnaissance, liaison and courier flights for the emperor; Red Cross ambulance flights by foreign volunteers
- Operação das Nações Unidas no Congo (ONUC) década de 1960 Contributed F-86F Sabres to the UN air component
- Guerra na fronteira Etiópia-Somália 1964 Struck Somali border posts, positions and towns and held air superiority
- Guerra de Independência da Eritreia e Guerra Civil Etíope 1961–1991 Bombing of rebel-held areas, close air support and gunship operations against the ELF, EPLF and TPLF
- Guerra de Ogaden 1977–1978 Won air superiority with F-5Es, struck Somali forces and airfields, and later supported the Soviet- and Cuban-backed counter-offensive
Who built the Ethiopian Air Force fleet
Cada empresa responsável pelas aeronaves desta página tem sua própria página: a história, cada tipo que construiu, os números e as outras forças aéreas que as operam.
Frota atual e encomendas
Sukhoi, Antonov, Baykar, Mil, Yakovlev, de Havilland Canadá, Aerospatiale, Aero Vodochody, Beechcraft, Chengdu, Aeronaves Grob, Lockheed, Mikoyan, Qods Aviation Industries, SIAI-Marchetti
Antiga frota
Douglas, Aviação Norte-Americana, Northrop, Saab, English Electric, Fairchild, Fairey, Junkers, Potez, de Havilland
Everything people ask about the Ethiopian Air Force
What is the Ethiopian Air Force called in Amharic?
When was the Ethiopian Air Force founded?
What fighter jets does the Ethiopian Air Force fly?
Did Ethiopian Su-27s shoot down Eritrean MiG-29s?
How did Ethiopia win the air war in the Ogaden in 1977?
Did Sweden build the Ethiopian Air Force?
Does the Ethiopian Air Force use armed drones?
Has the Ethiopian Air Force been accused of killing civilians?
Who commands the Ethiopian Air Force?
Where is the Ethiopian Air Force based?
Read the aircraft the Ethiopian Air Force flew
Cada tipo com uma página no Livro das Feras, primeiro em serviço e depois pelo ano em que deixou a frota.
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- ENA: Força Aérea Etíope comemorará 90 anos com eventos nacionais e internacionais espetaculares (25 de dezembro de 2025)Autoridades: a força aérea foi oficialmente estabelecida como uma instituição nacional em 28 de novembro de 1935; a aviação foi introduzida pela primeira vez em "12 de agosto de 1928"; eventos de 23 a 27 de janeiro de 2026; Brigadeiro-General Brook Seifu, comandante da Primeira Divisão Aérea.
- ENA (Amharic): Ethiopian Air Force celebrates its 89th founding anniversary (29 November 2024)Founding dated Hidar 20, 1928 in the Ethiopian calendar (late November 1935); the locally assembled Tsehay 2 aircraft shown ready to fly; Field Marshal Birhanu Jula present.
- ENA: PM Abiy Vows to Modernize Ethiopian Air Force (16 December 2023)88th founding anniversary and graduation; Abiy Ahmed quoted; Field Marshal Birhanu Jula and Lt. Gen. Yilma Merdasa present.
- ENA: "Águia dos Céus" Celebrando 90 Anos de Compromisso com a Paz Regional (24 de janeiro de 2026)Cerimônia do 90º aniversário presidida pelo primeiro-ministro Abiy Ahmed, na qualidade de comandante-em-chefe.
- ENA: Ethiopian Air Force Emerges as Continental Model for Military Excellence (23 January 2026)Aviation Expo 2026 opened by Abiy Ahmed as part of ETAF90, 23–27 January 2026; foreign defence attachés quoted.
- ENA: Premier Appoints New Air Force Commander (21 June 2018)Abiy Ahmed appoints Brig. Gen. Yilma Merdasa air force commander in place of Gen. Adem Mohamed, who moved to the intelligence service.
- ENA: Ethiopian, Pakistani Air Force Chiefs Vow to Cement Bilateral Military Cooperation (28 August 2025)Lt. Gen. Yilma Merdasa still commander in August 2025; meeting with Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu.
- ENA (Amharic) headline search for the air force’s Amharic nameThe state news agency spells the name የኢትዮጵያ አየር ኃይል in its Amharic headlines (2023–2025).
- FlightGlobal: Forças Aéreas Mundiais 2025Ethiopia: MiG-23 9, Su-27 16 plus 6 in the trainer list, Su-25 1 (trainer list), An-12 4, An-32 1, C-130B/E 2, DHC-5 1, DHC-6 1, Mi-8/17 15, Mi-24/35 7, SA316 3, G120TP 12, L-39 15; nothing on order. Army: DHC-6 3, UH-1H 8. No Su-30 or Yak-130 listed.
- defenceWeb: Etiópia adquire UAVs Akinci, caças Su-30 (Guy Martin, 17 de janeiro de 2024)Seis Su-30Ks do antigo lote indiano exibidos em uma cerimônia em 16 de janeiro de 2024; Akinci visto pela primeira vez em novembro de 2023; TB2s em Bahir Dar e Harar Meda; Wing Loong e Mohajer-6 em uso desde 2021; Birhanu Jula e Yilma Merdasa citados.
- defenceWeb / Africa Defense Forum: African air forces update their fleets (10 April 2026)Photograph of Ethiopian Yak-130s; analysis that Ethiopia’s neighbours have limited, ageing air assets.
- Human Rights Watch: Etiópia: Ataque aéreo contra campo de deslocados provavelmente configura crime de guerra (24 de março de 2022)Pelo menos 57 pessoas morreram e mais de 42 ficaram feridas em Dedebit, em 7 de janeiro de 2022, por bombas MAM-L disparadas de um TB2; a HRW não encontrou nenhum alvo militar e classificou o ataque como um aparente crime de guerra.
- ACNUDH: Comissão Internacional de Peritos em Direitos Humanos para a EtiópiaCriada pela resolução S-33/1 do Conselho de Direitos Humanos, de 17 de dezembro de 2021, para investigar violações cometidas por todas as partes desde 3 de novembro de 2020; relatórios A/HRC/51/46 (2022) e A/HRC/54/55 (2023); mandato encerrado em outubro de 2023.
- Human Rights Watch: Relatório Mundial 2025 – EtiópiaUm aparente ataque com drone contra um caminhão que transportava civis em Amhara, em 19 de fevereiro de 2024, deixou pelo menos 30 mortos (segundo relatos da mídia); o ACNUDH afirmou que as forças governamentais usaram drones contra civis.
- Human Rights Watch: Relatório Mundial 2026 – EtiópiaAtaques com drones em North Shewa (início de fevereiro, três mortos, segundo o Addis Standard) e East Gojjam (20 de fevereiro, 16 mortos, segundo a BBC Amharic); relatos de ataques com drones que feriram civis em Amhara.
- ACNUDH: Etiópia: Türk insta à moderação e a medidas de desescalada em meio à volatilidade em Tigray (10 de fevereiro de 2026)Confrontos entre as Forças de Defesa Nacional da Nigéria (ENDF) e as Forças de Segurança de Tigray ocorreram a partir de 26 de janeiro de 2026 nos arredores de Tselemti; segundo relatos, ambos os lados utilizaram drones e artilharia.
- ACNUDH: Etiópia: Türk, alarmado com o impacto civil das hostilidades, pede a redução da escalada (25 de setembro de 2026)Segundo relatos, ataques aéreos da ENDF, alguns realizados por drones, atingiram cinco escolas em Tigray em 22 de setembro de 2026, causando mortes e feridos; hostilidades com a TPLF e aliados em Tigray, Amhara e Afar.
- Nossos aeroportos: Aeroporto Harar Meda (HAHM)Dados abertos; mesma posição e altitude da Wikipédia (8,7163, 39,0059; 6.201 pés). Sem dados de pista na página.
- ENA: Academia da Força Aérea Etíope forma pilotos juniores e seniores (25 de junho de 2022)Cerimônia de formatura no quartel-general da Força Aérea em Bishoftu; especializações em treinamento, transporte, helicóptero e helicóptero VIP; lema "Tigres 2022".
- ENA: Chefes das Forças Aéreas Africanas visitam a Força Aérea Etíope (14 de dezembro de 2023)88º aniversário e primeiro Fórum da Força Aérea Africana em Bishoftu; os chefes militares visitaram as obras de modernização e infraestrutura em andamento desde 2018.
- ENA: O Black Lion Airshow abrilhanta a cerimônia de encerramento do 88º aniversário da Força Aérea Etíope em Bishoftu (16 de dezembro de 2023)Exibição conjunta do "Leão Negro" da Força Aérea da Etiópia e dos Emirados Árabes Unidos; com a presença de Abiy Ahmed, Birhanu Jula e Yilma Merdasa.
Dados verificados em 01/10/2026. As páginas da Ordem de Batalha são geradas a partir de um único conjunto de dados; se algum número aqui divergir de uma página do Livro das Feras, esta página será considerada a mais recente.
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