A Su-35 fighter with the serial number 2552 and an Ethiopian flag on its tail, one of two jets that the flight tracking account AfriMEOSINT says are undergoing flight trials before delivery to Ethiopia, in an image it shared on November 10, 2026. Mereja Media could not verify where or when the image was taken. Credit: via AfriMEOSINT on X.
Two Su-35 fighter jets built for Ethiopia’s air force are in flight trials ahead of delivery, a flight tracking account said Tuesday, as it logged four Ilyushin freighters and a Boeing 747 leaving the UAE.
AfriMEOSINT, an account on X that follows military and cargo flights in Africa and the Middle East, said the two jets carry the serial numbers 2551 and 2552 and are due to be flown to Ethiopia inside a Russian An-124 heavy cargo plane in the coming weeks. It did not say where it obtained the images it posted.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on October 28, during a visit to Moscow for the Russia and Africa summit, that Ethiopia had bought 12 Su-35 fighters and that the first batch had already arrived, about a year ahead of schedule, Wazema Radio reported. He also said Ethiopia would acquire four S-400 air defense batteries. Abiy did not say how many jets had arrived, what the deal cost, or when the S-400 systems would come. BBC Amharic noted that the purchase would make Ethiopia the second country in Africa to fly the Su-35, after Algeria. The same account had said on October 28, the day of the Prime Minister’s announcement, that jets 2551 and 2552 had reportedly been delivered that day.
On the same day, the account reported what it calls the continuing UAE cargo airlift to Ethiopia. Early on Tuesday, it said, two Vise Air Ilyushin Il-76 freighters registered 7Q-VZZ and 7Q-VAF and a Batot Air Il-76 registered XT-ABL left Al Ain airport, and an Invicta Air Il-76 registered TL-ATD left Al Reef Airbase. Hours later, it said, a Boeing 747 freighter operated by Pecotox Air, registered ER-MAM, flew from Al Ain toward Ethiopia and was “likely” landing at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. On Wednesday, the account said the 747 had instead landed at Harar Meda Airbase, and that it had stopped landing at Bole since the account disclosed what it says the plane carries. The account said the same aircraft made more than 14 flights to Addis Ababa between October 11 and November 3.
The account did not say what the aircraft were carrying on Tuesday, and Mereja Media could not independently verify the flights, their cargo or where they landed. Ethiopian Airlines, which runs the cargo terminal at Bole, has not commented on the flights, and the UAE has repeatedly denied that it arms any side in Sudan’s war.
The flights matter beyond Ethiopia because Sudan’s government has accused Ethiopia of letting its territory be used by the Rapid Support Forces, a charge Addis Ababa rejects. Mereja Media has reported on another UAE linked cargo jet tracked to Harar Meda, where Ethiopia’s air force has its main base, and on footage that put UAE linked cargo jets and pickup trucks on Bole’s apron.
By Tuesday evening, Mereja Media had not found any statement from the Ethiopian National Defense Force or the Ethiopian Air Force on the Su-35 deliveries since the Prime Minister’s announcement.
Sources
- AfriMEOSINT on X, Su-35 serials 2551 and 2552, Nov 10
- AfriMEOSINT on X, Il-76 departures from Al Ain and Al Reef, Nov 10
- AfriMEOSINT on X, Pecotox Air 747 to Ethiopia, Nov 10
- AfriMEOSINT on X, 747 landed at Harar Meda instead of Bole, Nov 11
- Wazema Radio, Ethiopia Receives First Batch of Russian Su-35 Fighter Jets, Oct 28
- BBC Amharic, on Ethiopia’s new jets and the regional balance of power, Oct 30
- Mereja Media, Flight tracker follows another UAE linked cargo jet to Harar Meda
- Mereja Media, New footage puts UAE linked cargo jets on Bole’s apron
- Mereja Media, Sudan takes its case against Ethiopia to the UN and AU