The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) is operating at least one Russian-made Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft defense systems, footage released on a national TV has confirmed.
Russia’s main arms exporter Rosoboronexport declined to comment when asked about the Pantsir-S1′ delivery to Ethiopia.
People familiar with the talks said that Ethiopia ordered some number of modern and upgraded air defense systems and radars in Russia and Ukraine to increase the capability of its Armed Forces.
The footage aired on national TV showed the recently received Pantsir-S1 air defense missile/gun system that is designed for air defense of small military, administrative and industrial installations and areas against enemy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and precision-guided weapons.
For reference, the Pantsir missile system is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems. Pantsir-S (NATO reporting name SA-22 Greyhound) is a combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system produced by KBP of Tula, Russia.
The system is a further development of 2K22 Tunguska (NATO reporting name: SA-19/SA-N-11) and represents the latest air defense technology by using phased array radars for both target acquisition and tracking.