Ethiopia Receives First Russian Su-35 Fighters in Moscow

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali shared images of two of the 12 Ethiopian Su-35s at Zhukovsky airport near Moscow, delivered on the sidelines of the third Russia-Africa summit.

Ethiopia received on Oct. 28, 2026, its first Russian-made Su-35 fighters, according to a surprise announcement made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. The handover ceremony took place in Moscow, where the third Russia-Africa Summit also took place on Oct. 28 and 29.

Abiy said Ethiopia would acquire 12 Su-35s and four S-400 air-defense batteries. While the Prime Minister said the country took delivery of the “first twelve Su-35s”, the images show only two airframes, tail numbers 2551 and 2552.

Rosoboronexport told Reuters that the initial batch consisted of two aircraft, while Aviation Week similarly reported that two jets had been handed over at Zhukovsky. The delivery schedule for the remaining aircraft and the S-400 systems has not been disclosed.

Abiy said the fighters arrived a year ahead of schedule and thanked Russian O

President Vladimir Putin for the expedited delivery. The Russian news agency Interfax later clarified that the equipment was “demonstrated” to the Ethiopian delegations at the Zhukovsky airport in Moscow.

This implies the fighters will be physically delivered to Ethiopia at a later date. Abiy shared images and videos on his X account showing him alongside Ethiopian and Russian officials near the Su-35s and entering an Il-78 tanker.

The acquisition makes Ethiopia the third foreign operator of the Russian Su-35, following China in 2015 and Algeria – which also operates the Su-34 Fullback and Su-57 Felon – in 2025. Neither Russia nor Ethiopia have released information on the overall cost of the program, financing terms, weapons, training, support and services, and possible collaborations with local companies.

Our comprehensive efforts to sustainably ensure our country’s peace and security have reached a new milestone today. The state of readiness being built within Ethiopia’s defense forces is endowing the nation with the capability to preemptively deter aggression.

In accordance with our prior agreement with the Russian government, we have today taken delivery of the first twelve Su-35 4++ Generation fighter jets. Additionally, Ethiopia will receive four S-400 air defense system batteries.

I would like to express my gratitude to my friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his dedication in ensuring we received these warplanes a year ahead of our agreed schedule. By equipping itself with these fighter jets, Ethiopia has taken the lead among Sub-Saharan African nations.

This historic achievement further strengthens our nation’s sovereignty, and it will serve as a massive capability boost that allows us to confidently continue our journey toward ensuring our collective security and regional stability in the future.

— Abiy Ahmed Ali (@AbiyAhmedAli) October 28, 2026

Su-35s in ETAF

The Ethiopian Air Force’s (ETAF) Su-35s sport a light-gray, dark-gray, and white geometric camouflage pattern, different from the desert paint scheme found on its Su-30s. The available images do not appear to show the wingtip Khibiny Electronic Warfare (EW) pods commonly seen on Russian-operated Su-35S aircraft. However, the aircraft’s electronic-warfare configuration has not been publicly disclosed, and the absence of visible external pods does not establish that the Ethiopian aircraft lack an electronic-warfare suite.

The service’s current fighter inventory is overwhelmingly Russian, reportedly consisting of nine MiG-23s, three Su-25UBs, 16 Su-27SKs and six Su-30K aircraft. The Su-30Ks were part of a batch of 18 (ten Su-30MK and eight Su-30K) manufactured for the Indian Air Force (IAF), before it adopted the Su-30MKI standard. The Ks and MKs were subsequently returned to Russia.

ኢትዮጵያ የታጠቀቻቸው አዳዲስ የጦር ጄቶች የአየር ክልሏን ለመጠበቅ ከምን ጊዜውም በላይ ዝግጁ ያደርጋታል! https://t.co/tT3vXFZ4A0

— Abiy Ahmed Ali (@AbiyAhmedAli) October 28, 2026

According to DefenceWeb, in 2011 the 18 Su-30Ks were transported to the 558th aircraft repair plant in Baranovichi, Belarus, where they were stored for the purpose of further resale. Angola acquired 12 of these between 2017 and 2019, and subsequently upgraded them to the Su-30SM standard. Ethiopia presumably acquired the remaining Su-30Ks.

New era for Ethiopian defense forces

Abiy said on X the Su-35 represents “a new milestone” in the country’s efforts to bolster its security and “preemptively deter aggression.” In his statement, he said: “In accordance with our prior agreement with the Russian government, we have today taken delivery of the first twelve Su-35 4++ Generation fighter jets. Additionally, Ethiopia will receive four S-400 air defense system batteries.”

The Prime Minister further added: “I would like to express my gratitude to my friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his dedication in ensuring we received these warplanes a year ahead of our agreed schedule. By equipping itself with these fighter jets, Ethiopia has taken the lead among Sub-Saharan African nations.”

Stunning photos from the handover ceremony of the first batch of Su-35SE fighters to Ethiopia.

: https://t.co/AraogvD9Or https://t.co/Skac3N4ZQ8

— H. Memarian (@HEMemarian) October 28, 2026

The Interfax report quoted Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev, who said the Su-35 was “not chosen by chance,” but because of its proven multirole capability. Mikheev said “it’s one of the best platforms, proven in air defense environments, in interactions with air defense systems, and with electronic warfare systems. In fact, the Ethiopian Armed Forces need this system in the current situation.”