A flight-tracking chart Rich Tedd of AfriMEOSINT posted on X on October 12, 2026, saying he had tracked 23 UAE-China cargo flights between September 2 and October 12 that may be linked to transfers of Chinese military equipment, including drones. (Photo: AfriMEOSINT on X)
Open-source flight trackers say the United Arab Emirates has sharply increased cargo flights into Ethiopia in the past week.
Rich Tedd, an open-source intelligence analyst who covers conflicts mainly in East Africa on the AfriMEOSINT account, wrote that two Boeing 747 freighters operated by Kyrgyz cargo airline Aerostan, registered EX-47002 and EX-47004, flew from Al Ain Airport in the UAE to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa in recent hours on October 11. He later listed more suspicious flights: Aerostan’s EX-47004 again from Al Ain to Bole, Invicta Air’s Il-76TD TL-ATB from Al Reef Airbase to Ethiopia, and Vise Air’s Il-76TD 7Q-VZZ from Al Ain to Ethiopia. On October 10 he reported a Vise Air Il-76 from Al Reef to Ethiopia and a Batot Air Il-76 leaving Al Ain for East Africa with Ethiopia as a possible destination.
On Monday, Tedd wrote that a significant UAE-China cargo airlift is likely linked to transfers of Chinese military equipment, including drones, to the UAE, with some believed to be sent onward to Africa. He said he had tracked 23 cargo flights between September 2 and October 12. Military airbases dominated the recorded UAE arrivals, he wrote, with Al Safran receiving eight flights, Al Reef six and Al Dhafra four, and Shanghai supplying eight recorded flights into Al Safran.
The airlift reporting lands as unverified claims of a drone attack near the UAE embassy in Addis Ababa spread on X. Kenya Axis wrote that reports had emerged of attempted drone strikes targeting the UAE embassy, which it said is located near Ethiopian National Defense Force facilities, and that the reports remained unconfirmed. Red Sea Axis posted a similar note, saying neither Ethiopian nor Emirati authorities had confirmed the alleged incident. Sajid Nadeem, a video journalist and conflict reporter, wrote that reports of attempted drone strikes on the UAE embassy in Addis Ababa had circulated, and that the embassy sits near ENDF buildings. Dedebit67 posted photos and claimed a confirmed strike, linking it to UAE support for Ethiopia and for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. Mereja could not verify the embassy reports, and by Monday evening neither the Ethiopian Gov’t nor the UAE embassy had issued a public statement that Mereja found.
The UAE was widely reported to have supplied combat drones to Addis Ababa in earlier phases of the northern war. The New Humanitarian wrote on Monday that the UAE remains a dedicated backer of Addis Ababa in the current fight, and that UAE-linked cargo flights have been tracked transporting weapons to the Rapid Support Forces via Ethiopian air bases. Sudanese Echo and other accounts on X repeated older Reuters reporting from February 2026 about an alleged UAE-funded RSF training camp in Ethiopia. Those older claims are not new confirmation of what the current freighters carry. Tedd’s posts track aircraft movements. They do not open the cargo holds.
Dr. Sam Youssef shared AfriMEOSINT’s Aerostan reporting on X and linked it to wider accusations that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government is allied with the UAE in the Sudan war. Feven Yemane asked on X how drones could penetrate Addis Ababa if the government claims exceptional military capabilities, after quoting the Kenya Axis embassy note.
Ethiopia depends on foreign partners for advanced drones and airlift while it fights in Tigray, Amhara and Afar and faces a diplomatic break with Eritrea. Mereja has not seen an official Ethiopian or Emirati explanation of the Aerostan, Invicta, Vise or Batot flights listed this week.
By Monday evening, Mereja still had no readable statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry or the UAE embassy confirming a strike, an interception or an all-clear.
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