Conflict catalog

1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War: Weapons and Equipment

1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War catalog used for weapons directly documented in the 1998-2000 conflict.

The 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War was a border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia that escalated into major conventional fighting, especially around Badme and later along the front lines in 2000.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War use.

Entries should be limited to systems with direct conflict-use sourcing.

5 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Eritrea / Ethiopia

Eritrea

1 weapon system in this catalog

Ethiopia

4 weapon systems in this catalog

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
air, land

Weapons

1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

3/3
MiG-29, Air defense fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMiG-29Air defense fighterSide: EritreaRole: Eritrean fighterBuilt: Mikoyan / Soviet Union / RussiaThe MiG-29 Fulcrum is a Soviet-designed twin-engine fighter built around short-range air combat, air-defense interception, and later multirole adaptation. Its cataloged combat history spans Iraqi and Yugoslav interceptors facing coalition air campaigns, Eritrean and Indian wartime use in 1999, Sudanese strike sorties, and Ukrainian MiG-29s modified to employ Western weapons such as AGM-88 HARM, JDAM-ER, HAMMER/AASM, and GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs.
Su-25, Ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-25Ground-attack aircraftSide: EthiopiaRole: Ground-attack sortiesBuilt: Sukhoi / Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant / United Aircraft Corporation / Soviet Union / Russia / GeorgiaThe Su-25 is a Soviet-designed armored close air support aircraft built for low-level battlefield strike, rough-field operation, and heavy stores carriage. Developed by Sukhoi and produced in Soviet, Russian, and Georgian factories, the twin-engine subsonic jet combines a protected cockpit, internal 30 mm cannon, and multiple pylons for rockets, bombs, missiles, and adapted guided weapons, with documented use from Afghanistan and Iraq to Darfur, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine.
Su-27, Twin-engine air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-27Twin-engine air-superiority fighterSide: EthiopiaRole: Air superiority fighterBuilt: Sukhoi / Soviet Union / RussiaThe Su-27, NATO reporting name Flanker, is a Soviet-designed twin-engine air-superiority fighter built around long range, high speed, and heavy air-to-air armament. Its combat record extends from Abkhazia and the 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War to Angola, Tigray, and the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where operators used it for air superiority, air-to-air combat, and adapted strike missions that now include Western precision and anti-radiation munitions.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

2/2
2S5 Giatsint-S, 152 mm tracked self-propelled gun, ArtilleryArtillery2S5 Giatsint-S152 mm tracked self-propelled gunSide: EthiopiaRole: Wartime artillery transferBuilt: Uraltransmash / Perm Machine-Building Plant / Soviet UnionThe 2S5 Giatsint-S is a Soviet 152 mm tracked self-propelled gun built for long-range corps- and army-level fire support. Its open rear-mounted 2A37 gun gives it greater reach than many older Soviet 152 mm systems, while its tracked chassis and stabilizing rear spade support shoot-and-move artillery work. Sources document 2S5 use or fielding context from Afghanistan and Chechnya through the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with additional wartime transfer evidence for Ethiopia during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.
2S19 Msta-S, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery2S19 Msta-S152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerSide: EthiopiaRole: Long-range tracked self-propelled artilleryBuilt: Uraltransmash / Sterlitamak Machine Construction Factory / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 2S19 Msta-S is a Soviet-designed, Russian-produced 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer that combines a 2A64 gun, armored cross-country mobility, automated loading, and later digital fire-control upgrades. The 2S19M1 branch adds automated guidance and command-and-control integration, while official Rostec reporting describes the 2S19M2 / 2S33 Msta-SM2 branch with ASUNO-M fire control, electronic mapping, automatic laying recovery, and a 10-round-per-minute aimed firing rate. Its combat record spans Russian use in Chechnya and Ukraine, Ethiopia's wartime Msta fleet, and Ukrainian operation of captured Msta-S systems.