Ethiopia announces acquisition of Russian Su-35 fighter jets as regional tensions mount
Ethiopia’s prime minister says the deliveries come a year earlier than originally planned, expressing gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for expediting the process.
Ethiopia has taken delivery of 12 Russian-built Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets as part of an effort to strengthen its military capabilities and deter potential aggression, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says.
The aircraft were formally handed over at Zhukovsky International Airport, near Moscow, during the prime minister’s visit to Russia for the third Russia-Africa Summit on 28–29 October.
In a 28 October statement posted on X, Abiy said that the jets were handed over “in accordance with [a] prior agreement with the Russian government”.
Russian defence analysis outlet bmpd, which is associated with the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), reports that the agreement covering the Su-35 aircraft was signed several years ago, with the first batch originally scheduled for delivery in 2027.
However, the publication says that in September 2026, at the XVIII BRICS Summit in India, Abiy asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to accelerate deliveries. Putin reportedly agreed to the request.
The acquisition of these Su-35 jets reflects Ethiopia’s longstanding defence relationship with Russia and its continued reliance on Russian-built combat aircraft.
The Su-35 is a single-seat, twin-engined air superiority fighter derived from the earlier Su-27, with significant modernisations. Source: Crown Copyright
According to state-owned Russian news agency TASS, the two countries “have been developing military-technical cooperation for many years”. The agency adds that in July 2021, Russia and Ethiopia “signed several agreements aimed at modernising the Ethiopian armed forces, transferring technology, and training military specialists”.
In his statement, Abiy describes the 12 fighters as the “first twelve” to be handed over, suggesting that Ethiopia may receive additional aircraft, although the total number expected to be delivered remains unclear.
Russian state-owned defence export company Rosoboronexport told Reuters that, so far, two Su-35 jets have been delivered to the Ethiopian Air Force.
During his visit, Abiy was also shown Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter and an Ilyushin Il-78M-90A aerial refuelling tanker – the tanker version of the Il-76 transport aircraft – according to bmpd.
As part of the agreement, Abiy says Ethiopia also expects to receive four Russian S-400 air-defence batteries, long-range surface-to-air missile systems designed to intercept aircraft and other airborne threats.
The acquisition comes as Ethiopia faces several national security issues, including renewed fighting between government forces and Tigrayan rebel groups, as well as rising tensions with neighbouring country Eritrea.
Abiy says the acquisition of the Su-35 fighters is part of Ethiopia’s “comprehensive efforts to sustainably ensure [the] country’s peace and security” and is intended to help the nation “preemptively deter aggression”.
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