Ethiopia will use drones in the war against Eritrea
Posted: 12 Nov 2025, 10:34
The exact number of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) operated by Ethiopia is not publicly confirmed. Some estimates and open-source reports provide rough figures, which are between 20-50 drones from Turkey, China,United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Turkey: Bayraktar TB2, possibly Akıncı
China: Wing Loong I/II, CH-4
UAE: Drones supplied indirectly (Wing Loong I, smaller ISR UAVs)
Iran: Mohajer-6
Most advanced systems are maintained under foreign maintenance contracts, with spare parts and proprietary software updates coming from the manufacturer. Data analysis, intelligence processing, and initial analysis (imaging and strike targeting) were carried out with the assistance of Turkish, Chinese, and Emirati teams using their respective software suites. Reports from Oromo groups indicate that there are 80 pilots, engineers, and analysts from the United Arab Emirates, and that the United Arab Emirates is training 60 Ethiopian officers from Oromo, Gurage and Southern regions in China to take on a role in the upcoming war in Tigray and Eritrea. Abiye Ahmed told his inner circle that Türkiye had protected the country from Tigray. Ethiopian Oromo officials, including Abiye Ahmed, army generals, and politicians, have publicly stated that Assab is Ethiopia and Eritrea’s independence is illegal, and Eritrea should be returned to Ethiopia. Ethiopia will use drones in the war against Eritrea, which will determine victory and control of Assab, Oromo and Afar OPP cadres and officials told their people. Ethiopia will use the experience gained from the Tigray war and there will be no need to use human forces in the upcoming war against Eritrea.
Turkey: Bayraktar TB2, possibly Akıncı
China: Wing Loong I/II, CH-4
UAE: Drones supplied indirectly (Wing Loong I, smaller ISR UAVs)
Iran: Mohajer-6
Most advanced systems are maintained under foreign maintenance contracts, with spare parts and proprietary software updates coming from the manufacturer. Data analysis, intelligence processing, and initial analysis (imaging and strike targeting) were carried out with the assistance of Turkish, Chinese, and Emirati teams using their respective software suites. Reports from Oromo groups indicate that there are 80 pilots, engineers, and analysts from the United Arab Emirates, and that the United Arab Emirates is training 60 Ethiopian officers from Oromo, Gurage and Southern regions in China to take on a role in the upcoming war in Tigray and Eritrea. Abiye Ahmed told his inner circle that Türkiye had protected the country from Tigray. Ethiopian Oromo officials, including Abiye Ahmed, army generals, and politicians, have publicly stated that Assab is Ethiopia and Eritrea’s independence is illegal, and Eritrea should be returned to Ethiopia. Ethiopia will use drones in the war against Eritrea, which will determine victory and control of Assab, Oromo and Afar OPP cadres and officials told their people. Ethiopia will use the experience gained from the Tigray war and there will be no need to use human forces in the upcoming war against Eritrea.
