Ethiopia Confirms New Russian SU-30, Yak-130 Jets Amid Emirati Mirage 2000 Rumor

The recent 90th Anniversary of the Ethiopian Air Force (EtAF), celebrated at Bishoftu Air Base in January 2026, served as a definitive showcase for Addis Ababa’s aggressive modernization program. This is not merely a quantitative increase in airframes, but a calculated doctrinal shift toward a high-tech ecosystem integrating advanced training, air superiority, and multi-role versatility.

Yak-130: The Foundation for Advanced Training and CAS

A key highlight of the "Black Lion 2026" exhibition was the confirmation of the Yakovlev Yak-130 in operational service. At least six units (serials 2301 to 2306) were displayed, indicating that the first batch of an estimated 10-aircraft contract is now active.

Mission Profile: Beyond its primary role as a Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT), the Yak-130's hardpoints allow it to function effectively in Close Air Support (CAS) roles.

Bridging the Gap: This platform is essential for transitioning pilots toward 4.5-generation fighters, simulating the flight profiles and avionics of heavy combat aircraft.

Su-35 and Su-30K: Consolidation of Air Superiority

The EtAF is systematically replacing its aging Su-27 fleet with modernized "Flanker" variants from various sources.

• Su-30K: Operations have been confirmed for the units delivered in 2024 (serials 2401 and 2402), which were refurbished Russian-origin aircraft formerly operated by India.
• Su-35 "Flanker-E": Credible reports indicate a contract for at least six Su-35 units. The integration of the Flanker-E provides Ethiopia with superior BVR (Beyond Visual Range) capabilities and thrust-vectoring maneuverability.

The UAE Connection: The Mirage 2000-9 and the French Approval Factor

The potential transfer of 20 Mirage 2000-9 fighters from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would complete Ethiopia's multi-role capability. While the Su-35 and Su-30 focus on long-range air dominance, the Emirati Mirage—renowned for its advanced avionics—would provide surgical tactical flexibility.

However, a critical geopolitical hurdle remains: End-User Certificate (EUC) compliance. As the original manufacturer, France must formally approve the re-export of these aircraft to a third party. While Abu Dhabi is keen to offload the fleet to make room for its incoming Rafale F4s, Paris will weigh this decision against regional stability and its own diplomatic interests in the Horn of Africa. Without the Élysée's green light, the transfer remains a strategic ambition rather than a logistical reality.

This modernization, bolstered by Bayraktar Akinci and Orion UAVs, signals Ethiopia's intent to establish a hybrid force structure capable of regional dominance by the end of the decade.

NEWS 2022 March, 6

French Navy 'Charles de Gaulle' aircraft carrier reinforces NATO's activities in Eastern Europe

According to a Marine Nationale (French Navy) statement 'Charles de Gaulle  CSG set sail again yesterday after a few days of port call in Cyprus. Clemenceau22 continues, but the mission evolves to adapt to the current geopolitical situation. (...). The detection capabilities of the E2-C Hawkeye will notably enable the carrier strike group to assess the surface situation at the Europe maritime borders, especially in the Black Sea. Deployed yesterday in CJTFOIR to fight against Daech, engaged today for the benefit of the reassurance of our NATO partners on the eastern flank of Europe, the carrier strike group continues to operate for the protection of France and the European continent.'

The 'Charles de Gaulle' will contribute 3 Combat Air Patrols (CAP) of two Rafale M each, per day. This translates into a nearly permanent (24 hours) presence. In addition, a daily E-2C Hawkeye flight is planned from the carrier, as well as occasion patrols by the two ATL2 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) currently based in Cyprus. The Rafale M will be refueled by NATO tankers present in the area. The patrol zones are the skies above Romania, Bulgaria and the Black Sea, sailing in the Mediterranean sea.
navalnews

Dassault plans to increase Rafale production to meet export sales success

Production of Rafale fighters will increase to three per month by the middle of the decade on the back of export sales success from a planned two-per-month rate.

In 2021, Dassault booked orders for 49 examples of the Rafale: 31 for Egypt, 12 for France and six for Greece. .However, those figures do not include blockbuster orders from the United Arab Emirates (80) and Indonesia (42), which were respectively signed in December 2021 and February this year. Greece is also likely to commit to another six aircraft, and France is expected to commit to at least another 42 in 2023, under its fifth order tranche for delivery from 2027.

However, the sharp ramp-up will not take place in 2022, when Dassault will ship just 13 Rafales, down from 25 in 2021, all of which will again go to export customers, Egypt and India.

Deliveries of the Rafale to France have been paused for several years due to some budgetary choices and are only likely to resume from 2023 or beyond.

Last year Croatia also joined the Rafale operator community, signing for 12 secondhand examples from France.

flightglobal

Air Force One replacement facing additional delays

While the Air Force and Boeing have yet to finalize a new schedule for the presidential aircraft replacement program, it now appears that the first new Air Force One plane will be delivered to the service even later than previously expected.

Boeing now expects that it will deliver the first VC-25B a total of 17 months later than originally scheduled.

That timeline has not been accepted by the Air Force and could change as the service negotiates with Boeing on a new schedule baseline. But Boeing’s new projection, which has been conveyed to stakeholders outside of the company, represents a growth from the 12-month delay presented by the company last year.

Boeing has pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bankruptcy of its now-defunct subcontractor GDC Technics as the major causes of the delay. GDC Technics was under contract to build the interiors of the VC-25B, but Boeing cancelled the contract and sued GDC,.

Any cost increases associated with the delay would be borne by Boeing, due to the fixed-price nature of its $3.9 billion contract with the Air Force. That contract covers the engineering, manufacturing and development work associated with turning baseline Boeing 747s into a presidential aircraft furnished with highly-classified defensive systems, hardened electronics and secure communications gear.

breakingdefense 

UAE to buy a dozen Chinese L-15 trainer aircraft

The United Arab Emirates has signed a letter of intention to procure 12 L-15 jet trainers from the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation. 

UAE Air Force Col. Abdulnaser Al Humeidi revealed the country’s intent to buy the fixed-winged Chinese aircraft, with the possibility of increasing the quantity to 36. 

The L-15 is a training and light-attack aircraft for fourth- and fifth-generation fighter pilot training. 

The decision reflects the UAE’s approach to diversify its sources of weapons.

defensenews

 

MOROCCO WILL RECEIVE UP TO 68 ADVANCED MIRAGE 2000-9 FROM UAE AMID TENSIONES WITH SPAIN AND ALGERIA FOR SPANISH WESTERN SAHARA AND SPANISH TERRITORIES IN NORTH AFRICA

The UAE will transfers its fleet of 68 Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets to Morocco, after purchasing 80 Rafale fighter jets from France. The Mirage 2000-9 fleet which currently equips the United Arab Emirates air force will be transferred to Morocco. 

In 2017, the Emirates signed a contract with Dassault Aviation to modernize around sixty Mirage 2000s. The UAE signed an agreement to acquire 80 Rafale, the largest obtained internationally for the fighter to be delivered from 2027. In this way, Morocco, after signing military agreements with the US and with Israel will now benefit from the weaponry that the UAE withdraws from its military. In this way, UAE will transfer up to his fleet of 68 Mirage 2000-9 fighters to Morocco. “The United Arab Emirates will deliver a series of Mirage 2000 Dash 9 fighters to Morocco, in the framework of friendship and military cooperation between the two sister countries” 

Mirage 2000 Dash 9 fighters are the most powerful version of the Mirage aircraft. Also, it is a special version only for the United Arab Emirates. It is still very powerful, and it has very advanced military technology, with a multimodal RDY-2 radar, a digital terrain tracking camera, an IMEWS countermeasures system with a Thomrad secure radio system with advanced cryptography and frequency hopping, LCD display screens and a digital recording system for four simultaneous displays, night vision goggles ( NVG) and an inertial gyroscope of the laser navigation system. This version of Mirage allows the simultaneous use of MICA IR and EM BVR anti-aircraft missiles, which is capable of attacking at distances of 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers). It is equipped with a type II core system architecture, like a next-generation aircraft. A whole tactical electronic warfare system through the adoption of interferometry technology. 

Military cooperation between the two countries is governed by a 2006 agreement with mixed military meetings held alternately in Rabat and Abu Dhabi. In the first quarter of this year, an Emirati military delegation headed by the Major General and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Emiratis met with the heads of the Moroccan Armed Forces and the Royal Air Force in Rabat. For its part, a high-level delegation from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces and the Moroccan Defense Administration participated in the two Defense exhibitions this year in Emirates, They also allow participating countries to close contracts with large international companies specialized in Defense. Behind this transfer of arms there is a political background of mutual support. It must be taken into account that the United Arab Emirates leans towards Morocco in reference to the conflict it maintains with the Polisario Front, and in its intention to implement an autonomy plan that annexes Western Sahara as the southern provinces. In 2020, the United Arab Emirates was the first Arab country to open a consulate in Laayoune, the capital of Western Sahara. Action thanked King Mohamed VI, which he considered political in nature and not only merely consular, with hardly any Emirati citizens in the non-autonomous territory. Although it always made it a condition that Morocco reestablish relations with Israel, as it finally did a month later, in December 2020. Morocco has been working on rearmament since breaking diplomatic relations with Algeria and tensions with Spain. Tension in North Africa in the wake of the rift between the threeo countries has escalated significantly in the last three months. 

Authority over Western Sahara was the main trigger for ties that were key, especially gas supplies for countries such as Spain. The arms race between Rabat and Algiers is now experiencing a new chapter with the dispatch of a military fleet by the United Arab Emirates to the Alawi kingdom. new.in-24.com militarywatchmagazine moroccolatestnews El Español

UAE SIGNS DEAL FOR 80 RAFALE

The United Arab Emirates and France have signed a $19bn arms deal that will see the Gulf state acquire 80 Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters. The largest-ever overseas sale of Rafale jets was sealed on Friday as French President Emmanuel Macron began a two-day trip to the Gulf, during which he will also visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia. 

The deal will directly support 7,000 jobs in France and guarantee the supply chain of the Dassault Aviation-made aircraft until the end of 2031, a French official told journalists. 

The UAE is taking F4-standard jets, becoming the first user for the variant outside of France. The F4 model Rafales, currently under development, will be delivered from 2027. 

By snapping up the fighter craft, the UAE is following the lead of Gulf rival Qatar, which has bought 36 of the planes. The on-off negotiations for the Rafale fighter jets took more than 10 years with Abu Dhabi publicly rebuffing France’s offer to supply 60 Rafale jets in 2011 as “uncompetitive and unworkable”. Abu Dhabi already has French-built Mirage 2000 warplanes. 

Defence sources said the Rafale would replace the Mirage 2000 fleet but is unlikely to displace the American-built F-35 as the UAE continues to hedge its security with two main suppliers, France and the United States. 

 The deal could nonetheless be seen as a signal of impatience as the US Congress hesitates on approving an F-35 deal amid concerns about the UAE’s relationship with China, including the prevalence of Huawei 5G technology in the country. Abu Dhabi also ordered 12 Caracal helicopters. It is the French code name for the H225M, the multi-role military version of the Super Puma. 

flightglobal

 

UAE receives first Saab Global Eye early-warning aircraft

Saab has delivered its first GlobalEye early-warning plane to the United Arab Emirates.
The aircraft arrived in Dubai during the late morning of April 29 following a brief stopover in Bulgaria on its way from Sweden.
GlobalEye is able to provide ground, air and maritime surveillance.
UAE has two more GlobalEye on order.
defensenews

USA discussing F-35 sale to United Arab Emirates

The US government is discussing the potential sale of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters with the United Arab Emirates, the US Air Force’s vice chief of staff has confirmed.
After the Obama administration pushed back on a previous request from the UAE, the possibility of an F-35 sale appears to have gained renewed traction under President Donald Trump.
In an interview with reporters on the eve of the Dubai air show, Gen Stephen Wilson confirmed news reports on the preliminary discussions with the UAE.
flightglobal

UAE signs for two Saab 340-based early warning aircraft

Saab has announced receipt of a $218 million contract to supply to the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence with two Saab 340-based airborne early warning and control system aircraft.
The company's contract follows "several years" of discussions over the supply of airborne surveillance equipment. It also follows other good news for the manufacturer, which late last week performed the first flight of a Saab 340-based AEW aircraft for export buyer Thailand.
The Erieye radar has previously been integrated onto the Embraer EMB-145 regional airliner for customers including Brazil and Greece, and is undergoing final system testing aboard a Saab 2000 turboprop for launch customer the Pakistan air force.
flightglobal

UAE Confirms Interest in Mistral Ship

A United Arab Emirates government official has confirmed the government's interest in acquiring one of two French Mistral-class amphibious assault ships originally ordered by Russia in 2011.
France and Russia last month reached a political agreement to cancel the Mistral deal and Paris is paying back Moscow's advance payments on the two warships. France paid Russia more than US $1 billion in compensation for the non-delivery.
defensenews

UAE Requires 1000 GBU-31s and 600 GBU-12s

The United Arab Emirates has requested a possible sale of 500 GBU-31B/B(V)1 (MK-84/BLU-117) bombs, 500 GBU-31B/B(V)3 (BLU-109) bombs, and 600 GBU-12 (MK-82/BLU-111) bombs, containers, fuzes, spare and repair parts. The estimated cost is $130 million.
The principal contractors will be Boeing and Raytheon.

UAE Restarts Rafale Talks With France

The United Arab Emirates has restarted talks on ordering the Dassault Rafale.
France has been in talks for more than five years on a sale of 60 Rafales, with the UAE requiring a more capable fighter with an extensive weapons suite. The Rafale would replace the fleet of Mirage 2000-9s.
The fresh talks are looking at requirements rather than reviving discussions for 60 Rafales and it is too early to say how many aircraft would be purchased for how much.
The UAE is seen a potential buyer after Egypt sealed a deal for 24 Rafales and India announced a plan to order 36 off the assembly line in France.
The UAE is in talks with the US to order 30 Block 61 Lockheed Martin F-16s, which would add to the 80-strong fleet of Block 60 fighters.
Abu Dhabi had agreed with then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy to consider the Rafale as a replacement to the fleet of Mirage 2000-9s bought in 1998.
Fabius said there are also discussions on the Rafale with Qatar.
defensenews

United Arab Emirates Acquires The Last Built C-17

The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is buying another two American C-17 air transports. The UAE uses the C-17 to move commercial as well as military cargo. The UAE already has six and ordered the first four in 2009. These latest C-17s for the UAE may be the last ones ordered, with total production ending at 279.
Britain is the largest foreign user of the C-17. Australia and Canada each got four. The U.S. Air Force operates 173.
strategypage

Operation Decisive Storm-Air Power Over Yemen

After Houthi rebels toppled the Yemeni government causing president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee to Aden earlier this month, a Saudi-led coalition of Middle Eastern states launched an air campaign to intervene.
Operation Decisive Storm began on March 26 and has resulted in one of the most extraordinary gatherings of air power seen in recent years, with air arms from the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, except Oman, joined by aircraft from Morocco, Egypt and Sudan, as well as Jordan.
The numbers of aircraft involved are quite extraordinary but perhaps illustrate the concern that Saudi Arabia and its neighbors have for the spread of the Houthi insurgency in the south of the Arabia peninsula.
Saudi Arabia is supporting the operation with 100 aircraft that are likely to include fighters and support aircraft.
Bahrain has deployed between eight and 12 of its F-16s, Qatar has sent 10 of its 12 Mirage 2000s. The United Arab Emirates has deployed 30 aircraft, while Morocco and Jordan have each deployed six F-16s. Jordan’s participation is particularly noteworthy given its heavy involvement in operations against the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq and Syria. Reports state that Kuwait has sent 15 F/A-18 Hornets.
Egypt’s aerial contribution is unclear, but its neighbor Sudan is perhaps the most surprising of the participants, bringing a trio of Sukhoi Su-24 Fencers.
How big a role the Su-24s will play remains to be determined, particularly as the aircraft are not compatible with Western weapons stockpiled at Saudi air bases, forcing the Sudanese to transport bombs and missiles to Saudi Arabia where the aircraft have been forward-based for the campaign.
Pakistan says it is examining a request from Riyadh to join the coalition.
aviationweek

France restarts Rafale sales talks with UAE

Dassault told reporters that it has resumed talks with UAE regarding the sale of the Rafale fighter to the Middle East nation.
reuters

Pilatus delivers additional PC-21 trainer to Royal Saudi Air Force

Pilatus has shipped another PC-21 expanded envelope trainer aircraft off its final assembly line for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).
The aircraft represents the 100th turboprop trainer PC-21 to be rolled off the company's final assembly line in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia ordered 55 PC-21 aircraft in May 2012.
The deal also covered the delivery of 22 Hawk 165 advanced jet trainers.
The PC-21 will also replace RSAF's existing PC-9 trainer fleet, which comprises 47 aircraft that were delivered by BAE as part of a package deal with Hawks to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s.
The RSAF took delivery of the initial six aircraft in June 2014. The remaining aircraft are currently in production, while the instructors are preparing for their first student courses.
The PC-21 is currently operated by the air forces of Singapore, Switzerland and the UAE, and has also been ordered by Qatar.
airforce-technology

French Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier Launches first attacks in Gulf against ISIS

French aircraft carrier launched operations in the Gulf on Monday.
Four Rafale fighter jets took off in the morning from the carrier as it sailed about 200 kilometers (120 miles) off the coast north of Bahrain in the direction of Iraq.
The Charles de Gaulle left its base in Toulon on Jan. 13 for a five-month mission that will include eight weeks in the Gulf working alongside the USS Carl Vinson as part of the coalition launched after IS seized swathes of Syria and Iraq last year.
The French carrier is then to travel to India, where it is due to take part in exercises in mid-April.
Carrying 12 Rafale and nine Super Etendard fighters, the carrier will significantly increase French air capabilities in the region.
France has nine Rafales in the United Arab Emirates and six Mirage fighters in Jordan operating in Iraq, along with a maritime patrol and a refueling aircraft.
The warship's deployment will cut in half the time it takes for planes to reach Iraq for strikes against IS from the base in the UAE.
The Charles de Gaulle strike group also includes an attack submarine, a French anti-aircraft frigate and the HMS Kent, a British anti-submarine frigate.
It arrived in the Gulf on Feb. 15 after a month of operations in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
defensenews

Pentagon: No near-term F-35 sales in Gulf region

The United States expects no near-term sales in the Gulf region for the F-35 warplane, saying current fourth-generation military aircraft with new upgrades are capable of handling the threats the region faces, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
Pentagon said the threats confronting the region can be dealt with adequately with current fleets such as United Arab Emirates' 80 Block 60 F-16s. The country had requested these to be upgraded to Block 61, which would carry stand-off weaponry, and had also requested an additional 30 Block 61 aircraft.
French firm Dassault Aviation sold 24 Rafale fighter jets to Egypt this month, triggering industry sources to say other regional governments might also consider the aircraft. A senior French source told Reuters last week that Qatar was in the final stage of negotiations regarding 36 Rafale jets.
The UAE has also been assessing Eurofighter's Typhoon, built by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.
reuters

France in 'final stage' of talks to sell Rafale jets to Qatar

France is in the "final stage" of negotiations to sell up to 36 Rafale warplanes to Qatar.
Manufacturer Dassault Aviation is also in talks aimed at supplying 16 of the multi-role combat jets to Malaysia and has resumed discussions over potential fighter sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The UAE publicly rebuffed an offer to supply 60 Rafale jets in 2011.
France said last June it was confident of winning a deal soon to supply fighter jets to Qatar, which is shopping initially for 24 jets plus 12 options to expand its air force.
Competitors include Boeing's F-15 fighter jet, while the U.S. manufacturer is also seeking sales for its declining F-18 model, which is reportedly in consideration in Malaysia.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, the Eurofighter and F-18 are competing for a possible Kuwaiti deal for 28 jets but the Rafale is not a leading contender there.
India picked the Rafale three years ago over the Eurofighter Typhoon for a contract to supply 126 planes, but a deal has not been signed.
The contract with Egypt could unblock three or four other ones.
Bilateral negotiations between Egypt and France took only five months, taking competitors and most industry experts off guard. Three jets a year are expected to be delivered to Egypt in 2015, 2016 and 2017 with the remaining 15 sent by mid-2019.
There was no formal competition, though one defence source said there had been exploratory contacts between Egypt and the Eurofighter consortium but that questions had arisen over the availability of rapid export licences from Britain and Germany.
Eurofighter said it was confident of winning other orders. A spokesman said it had also submitted an offer to Malaysia.
Egypt,is also said to be interested in military transport aircraft.
It currently operates the Lockheed Martin C-130 and is the largest customer for the Airbus Group C-295, while it has long been a target for the Airbus A400M airlifter.
reuters

UAE sends F-16s to Jordan to fight Islamic State

The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it ordered a squadron of F-16 fighters to Jordan, which an official said would participate in airstrikes on the Islamic State group after the UAE earlier suspended its involvement.

The UAE fighter jets will participate in airstrikes on Islamic State targets, said a Jordanian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the issue to journalists.

The UAE announcement, carried by the state news agency WAM, did not say what role the Emirati warplanes would play. An Emirati official declined to elaborate.

 usatoday

UAE to donate Super Tucanos to Iraq

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to supply Iraq with a number of Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano light strike aircraft to help combat the Islamic State, a government official has reportedly disclosed.
The UAE had recently ordered up to 24 Super Tucanos on 17 January that the emirates will transfer an undisclosed number to the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF).
Six of these 24 aircraft were to be supplied from the FAB's own inventory so as to expedite deliveries..
As well as the Super Tucanos, the UAE is also reported to be donating up to 10 Dassault Mirage 2000-9 combat aircraft, plus other ground-based weapons systems to the Iraqi government.
janes