At least 11 Ethiopian Air Force fighter jets and helicopters were shot down by Tigrayan forces during the Ethio-Eritrean genocidal war on Tigray. During the inauguration ceremony of the Ministry of Defense’s new building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian authorities admitted that at least four pilots were killed during the war on Tigray. The pilots killed include Michael Serebe, Tango Hailu, Lemma Tafesse, and Mola Simegn. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Tigrayan civilians were killed as a result of aerial strikes by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces.
TDF fighter shot down 3 Ethiopian fighter jets during the course of the armed resistance to the genocide.
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Tigrayan forces shoot down Ethiopian Air Force’s MiG-23 fighter jet sent to bombard civilians in Temben Abi Addi, Tigray
On 29 Nov 2020, Tigrayan forces shot down the Ethiopian Air Force’s MiG-23 fighter jet sent by the Abiy Ahmed regime to bombard civilians in Tembien Abi Addi, Tigray.
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The Ethiopian Air Force’s Mi-35M helicopter shot down by Tigrayan forces in Guya (Kola Tembien), Tigray
Tigrayan forces shot down the Russian-made Mi-35M helicopter in a new offensive launched by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops
An Ethiopian Air Force Mi-24/35 attack helicopter supporting the Eritrean army on the Werie Lehe-Tembien (Central) front has been shot down in Guya, Abiy Addi. All the crew including the pilot, Captain Lemma Tafese, deputy commander of the Eastern Air Base, had died on impact.
Yonas Nigussie (Twitter)
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Ethiopian Air Force helicopter shot down by Tigrayan forces on the Mille front in the Afar region on 11 Nov 2021
The Ethiopian Air Force helicopter was downed on the Mille Front in the Afar region and the pilot, Michael Serebe, was killed on impact.
Ethiopian C-130E Hercules aircraft was shot down by Tigrayan forces on 23 June 2021, a day after the Ethiopian Air Force bombed a busy market in Togoga killing at least 64 civilians and wounding close to 200 civilians.
When the Ethiopian C-130 Hercules destined to Alula-Abanega Int Airport in Mekelle was shot down by TDF’s anti-aircraft unit at Seharti district as part of the ongoing “Operation Alula-Abanega”!
Prof. Kindeya Gebrehiwot
The C-130 Hercules aircraft’s identification tag found in the wreckage
Tigray rebels shoots down Ethiopian C-130E aircraft | Military Africa
by Sarah Lesedi
25 June 2021
The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s northern region has a new turn as forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – a rebel group claims to have shot down a Lockheed C-130E Hercules tactical transport aircraft of the Ethiopian Air Force in June 23. The downed C-130E Hercules aircraft with serial 1564 (c/n 382-3822), was carrying troops and ammunition to the frontlines when it succumbed to enemy anti-air action, leaving only one of the type in service.
Ethiopia’s C-130s are operated by the 15 Squadron at Debre Zeit Air Base, a part of Harar Meda Airport in Bishoftu. There have been no confirmed survivor in the crash. The Ethiopian Air Force operates two C-130Es donated by the United States in July 2014 and 2018 to assist in airlift and transportation duties for the Ethiopian forces currently battling the deadly Somalian terrorist group al-Shabbab.
Operated as serial 62-1858, the US-donated C-130E had clocked 22,739 flight hours before being transferred to the Ethiopian Air Force. The C-130E is an extended-range development of the C-130B, with two underwing fuel tanks and increased range and endurance capabilities.
Ethiopia launched a military offensive against the TPLF in the Tigray region last November.
In 2019, an Ethiopian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker jet crashed after takeoff from the Debrezeit Air Force base, 50 km Southeast of Addis Ababa, killing two pilots. For transport duties, Ethiopian Air Force operates three Antonov An-12, a single Antonov An-32, and two DHC-6 Twin Otters.
In addition, two C-130Bs, entered operational service in 1997, and another two Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules, in 2007. One C-130B crashed in August 2013, while the second L-100-30 has been withdrawn from active service. This leaves a C-130B and L-100-30 operational with 15 Squadron at Debre Zeit.
Source: Military Africa
