On 11 August 2026, an Aero L-39C Albatros operated by the Ethiopian Air Force crashed in East Shewa, Oromia, ETHIOPIA, after reportedly coming under fire from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) while conducting a combat mission. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash, but both occupants survived, with the two pilots apparently ejecting safely before being rescued by Ethiopian commandos. No fatalities or injuries among the aircraft’s occupants or other persons on the ground were reported. The incident occurred during the combat phase of flight and involved a military-operated aircraft; further details concerning the aircraft’s registration, MSN, precise circumstances of the crash and the nature of the reported ground fire were not available in the incident record provided.
A Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) analysis of 19 months of flight-tracking data has identified 75 flights linked to Russian state-aligned military operations in MALI, BURKINA FASO and NIGER between January 2025 and July 2026, revealing an extensive air-logistics network supporting the Africa Corps, RUSSIA’s successor to the Wagner Group in the Sahel. BURKINA FASO accounted for the largest share of…
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