A Bayraktar TB2 Belonging to the Ethiopian Air Force Crashes or Was Shot Down in Oromia
Recently, some footage and images regarding the loss of one of the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles procured by the Ethiopian Air Force from Baykar Technology were widely spread on social media networks. In the images, it was seen that the wreckage of the unmanned system, which was found to be equipped with two MAM-L (smart micro munitions) produced by Roketsan, was found by farmers and village residents living in the Horo Guduru Welega region of Oromia. While some users and analysts claimed that the unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down by the Oromo Liberation Army affiliated with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, based on the area where the wreckage of the Bayraktar TB2 was found, another party claimed that the crash was caused by technical problems or operator error. Though days have passed since the incident, neither Baykar technology nor Ethiopian authorities have released an official statement, so questions about the accident remain.
In late 2021, it was revealed that the Ethiopian Air Force was operating Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles during air operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Although the Addis Ababa government did not disclose the exact number of systems it purchased from Turkey, satellite images show that the Ethiopian Air Force operates at least four Bayraktar TB2s at Bahir Dar and Harar Meda Air Bases. Ethiopia is also an operator of Akinci drones, which are part of Baykar Technology’s Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle family. The procurement, which was revealed when an EAF-marked Akıncı (S40) was seen in the 6th test flight video of the Bayraktar TB3, which was first shared by Selçuk Bayraktar in November 2023, was confirmed with the delivery at the beginning of this year. Similar to the TB2 contract, Ethiopia and Baykar did not disclose the Akıncı procurement details to the public. All we know for now is that Ethiopia’s Akıncı is in the A configuration, powered by two 450hp engines.
Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles, which played an important role in Ethiopia’s war with ethnic autonomous regions within the country (Tigray War), which lasted from 2020 to 2022 and continues to flare up from time to time, are only one aspect of the country’s air force modernization. Ethiopia has previously purchased Wing Loong unmanned aerial vehicles from China, Qods Mohajer-6 unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran, and a 4th generation Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft from Russia. While these purchases provide a significant boost to Ethiopia’s Air Force, which relies on Soviet-era aircraft such as the MiG-21 and MiG-23, they also serve as a deterrent to the ethnic groups with which it is still at odds at home, as well as the military tensions it faces abroad, particularly with neighboring Somalia.