Are Emirati armed drones supporting Ethiopia from an Eritrean airbase?

November 19, 2020 World



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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declares that the war in the Tigray region has entered its “final phase”.

The conflict broke out on November 4 when the country’s central government accused local authorities in the region of holding “illegal” elections and seizing a military base. Thousands of civilians have fled to neighboring Sudan as the federal army advances towards the regional capital of Mekelle.

Tigray politicians said they were under attack “on multiple fronts,” including neighboring Eritrea, with which the region shares a long border. As regional president Debretsion Gebremichael recently told Reuters, “our country is attacking us with a foreign country, Eritrea. Betrayal!”

Getachew Reda, a senior consultant at Gebremichael, made more detailed statements about the use of drones:

The Ethiopian prime minister only claimed that the Air Force conducted “targeted attacks” against the militants without specifying the weapons used.

Were Emirati drones, other drones or piloted aircraft used in these air strikes?

Satellite images obtained by Bellingcat suggest that the United Arab Emirates Air Base in Assab, Eritrea, actually hosts drones compatible with the Chinese Wing Loong II model of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The images, provided by Planet Labs, show a drone with a wingspan of just over 20 meters, corresponding to the characteristics of the drone model produced by the Chinese Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.

The UAE acquired Wing Loong II drones in 2017. They also used the drones to conduct operations in Yemen in the war against various militant groups, including the Houthis.

Satellite imagery from Sentinel. Used with permission

The drones seen in these images are consistent with those operated by the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, the newly built drone hangars at the base suggest an increased presence of drones in the area, although their active deployment over Ethiopia is not yet confirmed. However, the images provide a strong indication of the possibility of their use. However, the Ethiopian Air Force also operates Russian-made MiG-23 and Sukhoi-27 jet fighters and attack helicopters that may have also been used in the attacks.

Footage uploaded via Facebook and shared by Deutsche Welle’s Amharic-language service indicated that jet fighters have been active around Mekelle, where they are said to be involved in air strikes:

The birth of a drone base

Drones are not new to this region. In 2015, what is likely a China-made Wing Loong I drone was spotted at Assab Air Base. This model is the predecessor of the Wing Loong II, which entered service only after 2018.

In 2016 a Stratfor analysis detailed the construction of the base and its growth for both air and naval capabilities, providing the UAE with operational capabilities for its campaign in Yemen. Once again, satellite images show a Wing Loong I drone standing outside two drone shelters on the north side of the asphalt.

A Sentinel-2 timelapse of the base comparing January 2017 to November 2020 reveals the large-scale expansion of the base’s infrastructure.

Timelapse image: Sentinel Hub / Creative Commons

Two drone hangars were built in April 2018, but a third hangar appeared on Sentinel-2 images in November 2019.

Eritrea’s construction and lease of the base in the UAE was condemned by the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea as a violation of the United Nations arms embargo in the two states of the Horn of Africa.

Current Planet Labs images also show three crates next to Assab Airbase hangars, which may be proof of shipment. Similar crates are used for US-made MQ-9 Reaper drones, as shown in an image released by the UK Ministry of Defense.

According to Twitter investigator OSINT Obretix, similar containers have also been noticed in other bases with confirmed Wing Loong II drones, such as in Egypt:

Additionally, similar crates can be seen on satellite images of this airbase in Iraq, which houses the US drones MQ-1 Gray Eagle and MQ-9 Reaper:

The UAE also used Wing Loong II drones over Libya in support of the opposition Libyan National Army (LNA) led by warlord Khalifa Haftar. According to the United Nations, at least 800 drone attacks in support of the LNA had occurred as of November 2019, some of which resulted in civilian casualties. Satellite images confirm their presence on both bases Libya as well as in Egypt.

The UAE also operates the unarmed General Atomic Predator XP drones manufactured in the United States. Additionally, the outgoing Trump administration has just approved sales of MQ-9 Reaper drones to the UAE, triggering outcry from human rights groups due to the Emirati’s poor human rights situation and relentless airstrikes by a coalition. led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into Yemen, which caused a high number of civilian casualties.

There are also media reports that Ethiopia has procured Chinese CH-4 armed drones, but so far no open source confirmation has been found that could indicate the presence of drones in known Ethiopian aviation bases. However, other clues could take the form of information from communication stations or satellite images showing the aforementioned containers, as explained here by the Bard Center for the Study of the Drone.

Possible, but unlikely

In short, the claims made by the Tigray forces are not impossible, but so far they seem unlikely.

Satellite images confirm the presence of Chinese-made drones at the UAE military base in Assab, but that’s all it confirms. There is currently no further evidence that these same drones were involved in operations in support of Ethiopian aviation, although sightings of Ethiopian jet fighters have been confirmed in the conflict zone.



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