As an armed rebel coalition takes shape, reports indicate Ethiopia is manufacturing combat drones across domestic facilities to bolster military operations
Borkena Desk
TORONTO, Canada — As an armed rebel coalition takes shape in Ethiopia, reports are emerging that Abiy Ahmed’s government is manufacturing drones for military combat missions and other purposes.
Ethiopia has been manufacturing drones at two factories since last year and is now thought to have a fleet of thousands, analysts say, giving the government an edge against its multiple insurgent enemies.
When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the SkyWin Aeronautic drone manufacturing plant in March last year, he stated that drone production would serve both military and civilian purposes, framing the military use as deterrence. However, human rights organizations have reported the use of drone attacks on non-combatant civilians in ongoing regional conflicts, more recently in the Amhara region.
During the two-year civil war between 2020 and 2022, the government heavily relied on drone imports, primarily from Turkey.
Concrete evidence suggesting the drones are fully “manufactured in Ethiopia” remains limited.
Jeremy Binnie of the defense and intelligence company Janes noted that the drone models displayed during the SkyWin inauguration closely resemble commercially available Chinese models. The displayed drones were marked as “SW01.”
According to sources, Ethiopia’s drone production capability remains secretive, with strict restrictions placed on media reporters.
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