Dubai Airshow 2021: Is Ethiopia using Emirati combat UAVs?
Unreleased photographs of the alleged Emirati-supplied UCAV handled by Ethiopian soldiers. These images were reportedly taken in June 2021 in the Tigray Region. (Source: Twitter/Wim Zwijnenburg)
Photographic evidence suggests that the UAE has supplied armed UAVs to assist the Ethiopian National Defense Force in the ongoing Tigray War.
One year into a civil war between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels, the security situation has rapidly deteriorated with widespread fear over the collapse of the state and potential regional spillover. The UAE – an established military partner for Ethiopia – seems now to be even more invested.
In terms of defence procurement, relations between the two countries traditionally centred on the supply of small arms such as carbines and sniper rifles produced by Emirati company Caracal, as well as ammunition, to the Ethiopian Republican Guard.
However, materiel ties appear to have extended beyond guns. Between August and September
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