German aircraft maker Grob swoops on Horn

摘要

Grob Aircraft is on the lookout for further business opportunities in Ethiopia, having already sold twelve G 120TP turboprops to the Ethiopian Air Force (EAF, Africa Intelligence, 22/05/20). According to our sources, the German aircraft manufacturer has been in regular contact with Ethiopia's army command over the possibility of supplying ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) craft based on Cessna Caravan 208 architecture. These ongoing discussions got under way before the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) became embroiled in the offensive being waged by the federal government of Abiy Ahmed Ali against the rebel militia of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). This development may complicate things for the Bavarian manufacturer, as Berlin has strict rules on exports to conflict zones. Contacted by Africa Intelligence, Grob declined to respond to our enquiries. However, the EAF is in need of plugging the gaps in its ISR capacities, since the conflict in Tigray province is being played out in difficult-to-access mountainous regions. The Ethiopian air force highlighted its weaknesses in this respect in a report broadcast on 20 November on Ethiopian TV featuring eight drones. The craft presented by the army chief of staff, Yilma Merdasa, are simple civil observation craft made by China's Zerotech and they have a very limited flying range (Africa Intelligence, 26/11/20).