Ethiopia receives 12 Russian fighter jets and plans to acquire air defences

Ethiopia has received 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets and plans to acquire four S-400 air defence batteries, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced during a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow. The delivery strengthens Ethiopia’s air force amid renewed fighting in Tigray, while the air defence systems have yet to arrive.

Abiy said the jets arrived ahead of schedule under an agreement made several years ago. He described the acquisition as a milestone for Ethiopia’s defence capacity and said the equipment was needed to protect against external threats, according to the BBC. He did not give an arrival date for the S-400 systems, Al Jazeera reported.

How the deal fits Ethiopia’s security concerns

Qalaab Segatu, a military intelligence analyst cited by the BBC, assessed the acquisition as a sign Ethiopia was preparing for possible conflict with other countries as well as internal fighting. That is an analyst’s assessment of the equipment’s potential role. Benedict Manzin, a risk analyst interviewed by Al Jazeera, cautioned against assuming recent developments in Tigray prompted purchases negotiated years earlier.

Manzin said the S-400 systems would be best suited to conventional aerial threats. They would add to an air force already equipped with Russian fighter jets, Al Jazeera reported. The distinction matters for the deal’s immediate effect: the 12 aircraft have been delivered, while Ethiopia’s planned acquisition of the four air defence batteries has no announced timetable.

Russia’s wider relationship with Ethiopia

Manzin said the agreement could bring Moscow arms revenue and diplomatic influence while helping Ethiopia strengthen its armed forces. He traced military cooperation between the countries to the Soviet Union’s support for Ethiopia’s former communist government. Al Jazeera reported that more recent military agreements have covered technology, knowledge and training.

The leaders also discussed nuclear energy, health and trade, according to Al Jazeera. Russian President Vladimir Putin said bilateral trade exceeded $1.3bn from January through September, more than double the total for all of 2025. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute put Russia’s share of African major-weapons imports in 2021–2025 at 15%, behind the United States at 19% and China at 17%, Al Jazeera reported.