By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
Just a month after the deployment of six Emirati Wing Loong I unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and their operators to Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates is already implicated in a series of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in the town of Alamata in the Tigray Region. The strikes resulted in the deaths of 42 civilians and the wounding of at least 150 as munitions struck the town's hospital and market. [1] [2] The majority of deaths are believed to have resulted from unguided bombs dropped by the Ethiopian Air Force's (ETAF) Su-27 fighter aircraft, which Ethiopia has repurposed as makeshift bombers armed with dumb bombs and cluster munitions. [3]
Careful analysis of the stricken areas in Alamata however also reveals the remains of a Chinese-made Blue Arrow 7 air-to-ground missile (AGM), which is the standard type of armament equipping Emirati Wing Loong UCAVs. Although the Ethiopian Air Force similarly operates the Wing Loong I, these are only known to be armed with TL-2 AGMs, a first batch of which was acquired in early November 2021. [4] Ethiopia initially sought to operate its Wing Loong Is as reconnaissance UAVs to locate targets for Su-27 fighter aircraft equipped with unguided bombs, only later deploying them as actual strike platforms armed with up to four guided munitions. [5]
Although it's impossible to conclusively link the remains of the Blue Arrow 7 munition to civilian deaths (at least until more information becomes available), it is known that the UAE has frequently struck civilian infrastructure as part of its drone campaigns over Yemen and Libya. In 2020 Amnesty International urged the United States to stop drone sales to UAE over the use of armed drones by the UAE to ''target civilian homes and health facilities, including field hospitals and ambulances''. [6] [7] [8] Also in 2020, an Emirati Wing Loong I carried out a lethal drone strike that killed 26 unarmed cadets at a military academy in Tripoli, Libya. [9]
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The motor tailpipe of the Blue Arrow 7 remains recovered in Alamata. |
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The motor tailpipe of a Blue Arrow 7 AGM found in Alamata (left) and the remains of a Blue Arrow 7 (including the motor tailpipe) found in Libya (right). Click on the image to enlarge. |
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Other remains of a Blue Arrow 7 AGM found in Alamata. The inserts show Blue Arrow 7 remains recovered in Libya. Click on the image to enlarge. |
Special thanks to Saba Tsen'at Mah'derom.
[1] Daily Noon Briefing Highlights: Ethiopia https://www.unocha.org/story/daily-noon-briefing-highlights-ethiopia-34
[2] Ethiopia: Consecutive days airstrikes in Tigray’s Alamata kill 42 civilians, injure more than 150, cause massive destruction https://globenewsnet.com/news/ethiopia-consecutive-days-airstrikes-in-tigrays-alamata-kill-42-civilians-injure-more-than-150-cause-massive-destruction/
[3] Su-27 Fighters Deployed As Bombers In Tigray War https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/11/su-27-fighters-deployed-as-bombers-in.html
[4] Ethiopia Acquires Chinese TL-2 Missiles For Its Wing Loong I UCAVs https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/11/ethiopia-acquires-chinese-tl-2-missiles.html
[5] Deadly Ineffective: Chinese-Made Wing Loong UAVs Designate Targets For Ethiopian Su-27 Bombers https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/11/deadly-ineffective-chinese-made-wing.html
[6] Libya migrant attack: UN investigators suspect foreign jet bombed centre https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50302602
[7] UAE implicated in lethal drone strike in Libya https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53917791
[8] US urged to stop drone sales to UAE over civilian deaths in Yemen and Libya https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/amnesty-demands-us-halt-sale-drones-uae[10] Tracking Arms Transfers By The UAE, Russia, Jordan And Egypt To The Libyan National Army Since 2014 https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2020/06/types-of-arms-and-equipment-supplied-to.html
[11] ደብዳብ ድሮናትን ነፈርትን ከተማ ኣላማጣ https://youtu.be/CTgtrGqmXUg
[14] Morocco's Missiles https://actualcontrol.substack.com/p/moroccos-missiles