Russia Sends Fighter Jets, Air Defenses to Ethiopia

Ethiopia has taken delivery of 12 Russian-made Su-35 fighter jets and expects four S-400 air defense batteries under a military agreement announced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Moscow, according to Al Jazeera. Abiy disclosed the deal during the two-day Russia-Africa Summit on October 28, 2026, in remarks reported by Al Jazeera, though he did not say when the S-400 systems would arrive.

What weapons is Ethiopia acquiring from Russia?

The 12 Su-35 jets were delivered under an earlier agreement with Moscow, Abiy said, per Al Jazeera's reporting. The aircraft expand an Ethiopian air force that already flies Russian-built fighters. The four S-400 batteries, once delivered, would add a long-range air-defense layer intended to work alongside the existing jet fleet, experts told Al Jazeera.

Why does Russia want closer military ties with Ethiopia?

The relationship did not begin with this deal. "Russia has been engaged in Ethiopia for decades, part of the legacy of the Cold War," Benedict Manzin, a lead analyst on the Middle East and Africa at risk consultancy Sibylline, told Al Jazeera. The Soviet Union had backed Ethiopia's former communist government, and the countries have since signed military agreements aimed at improving the Ethiopian armed forces' capabilities through technology, knowledge and training, according to the Ethiopian News Agency, as cited by Al Jazeera.

Commercial motives also factor in, Manzin said. "Russia is also in the business of making money through arms sales," he told Al Jazeera, adding that the Ethiopia deal is one example of that broader pattern. President Vladimir Putin framed the relationship in political terms at the summit, saying, "I value the friendly relations between Russia and Ethiopia. Russia and Ethiopia stand together in international affairs," according to Al Jazeera.

How effective are S-400 systems against modern threats?

The S-400 is designed to counter conventional aircraft and missiles, not every form of attack. "They would be best used against conventional air threats," Manzin told Al Jazeera. "In a war with Eritrea, they could be used against Eritrea's limited air force and drones."

The analyst flagged a limitation that mirrors a pattern observed elsewhere. "As we have seen in Ukraine, conventional air defence systems can be overwhelmed by small, cheap drones," Manzin said, per Al Jazeera. That caveat suggests the batteries would strengthen Ethiopia's hand against a traditional air force but offer less certainty against swarms of low-cost drones, a threat category that has reshaped battlefield calculations in Ukraine's war with Russia.

What does the deal mean for Ethiopia's conflicts with Eritrea and Tigray?

Al Jazeera's reporting frames the arms transfer as strengthening Addis Ababa's military "amid conflict at home and tensions with neighbouring Eritrea." Ethiopia's government has been engaged in conflict in the Tigray region, and relations with Eritrea remain strained, according to the outlet. The new jets and planned air-defense batteries would give Ethiopia's armed forces additional tools in either theater, though the report does not specify operational plans for their deployment, and Al Jazeera's sourcing does not indicate how soon the S-400 systems will be operational.

What should observers watch next?

• Whether Russia specifies a delivery timeline for the four S-400 batteries, which Abiy did not provide, per Al Jazeera.
• Whether tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea escalate militarily, which would test the practical value of the new jets and air-defense systems.
• Whether additional arms or cooperation agreements emerge from the Russia-Africa Summit involving other nations in the Horn of Africa.
• Whether drone warfare tactics seen in Ukraine inform how Ethiopia's military plans to use or supplement its new S-400 coverage.

The deal adds to a decades-long defense relationship between Moscow and Addis Ababa rather than marking a sudden shift, analysts told Al Jazeera, with both arms revenue and diplomatic influence cited as motivating factors for Russia's side of the arrangement.

What does the deal signal about Russia's influence in the Horn of Africa?

Al Jazeera's reporting frames the transaction as part of a broader pattern: an arrangement that strengthens Moscow's foothold in the region while giving Addis Ababa additional military capability. The announcement came during the two-day Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, placing the Ethiopia deal alongside Putin's wider outreach to African governments. Al Jazeera's sourcing does not detail other specific agreements reached at the summit, but the setting underscores that the Ethiopia transaction is one piece of a larger diplomatic push rather than an isolated bilateral exchange.

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