Aviation News – The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Air Force has officially received its first Sukhoi Su-35S multirole fighters from Russia, significantly enhancing the nation’s aerial defense capabilities.
The high-profile handover ceremony took place at Zhukovsky Airport in conjunction with the Russia – Africa Summit. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed publicly announced the acquisition on 28 October 2026, a development that was subsequently confirmed by Russia’s state-owned defense export agency, Rosoboronexport. This strategic delivery marks a pivotal moment in defense cooperation between Addis Ababa and Moscow, deepening bilateral ties and modernizing the East African nation’s military fleet with advanced fifth-generation-adjacent multirole aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-35S is a highly capable 4++ generation multirole fighter renowned for its exceptional maneuverability, advanced thrust-vectoring engines, and powerful Phazotron Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar. Designed to achieve air superiority, the aircraft features long-range engagement capabilities and advanced avionics suite that allow pilots to track multiple targets simultaneously. Integrating these sophisticated platforms into the Ethiopian Air Force requires extensive pilot training, ground crew preparation, and logistics overhaul, signaling a major leap in the country’s technical military readiness and regional deterrence posture.