Conflict catalog

2020 Tigray War: Weapons and Equipment

A northern Ethiopia conflict involving Ethiopian federal forces and allies against Tigrayan forces.

The 2020 Tigray War was a two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia between the federal government and allied Eritrean and Amhara forces on one side and Tigrayan forces aligned with the TPLF on the other. Fighting began after the breakdown between Addis Ababa and Tigray's regional authorities, moved from federal control of Mekelle to a Tigrayan counteroffensive and wider fighting in Amhara and Afar, and ended through the African Union-led Pretoria cessation of hostilities.

This catalog tracks weapon systems documented in the 2020 Tigray War between Ethiopian government-aligned forces and Tigrayan forces.

Entries focus on directly sourced equipment use, capture, or operation in a conflict shaped by heavy weapons, airpower, drones, and artillery.

20 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Ethiopian government and allies / Tigray forces

Tigray forces

13 weapon systems in this catalog
  • Tigray forces

Context

Status
Published catalog
Location
Tigray Region and adjoining areas of northern Ethiopia
Countries
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan
Regions
Tigray Region, Amhara Region, Afar Region, Eritrean border area, Eastern Sudan refugee-hosting areas
Domains
land, air, UAV, missile strikes, artillery, border clashes, insurgency

The current archive is strongest on visually documented Tigrayan heavy weapons, especially captured or retained Soviet-standard artillery such as BM-21 Grad launchers, D-30 howitzers, and D-44 field guns. Broader conflict reporting also points to airpower, armed UAVs, artillery, and rocket fire as important domains, but individual weapon entries are kept to systems with direct, source-backed catalog evidence.

Map

Tigray Region and adjoining areas of northern Ethiopia

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. Northern Command attack opens the war

    UN and Ethiopian human-rights investigators report that Tigray Special Forces and allied militia attacked Ethiopian National Defence Force Northern Command bases, after which the federal government launched a military operation in Tigray.

    Sources: OHCHR-EHRC Joint Investigation

  2. Federal-allied forces take Mekelle

    Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that the ENDF had gained full control of Mekelle; the TPLF withdrew from the regional capital but continued fighting elsewhere in Tigray.

    Sources: OHCHR-EHRC Joint Investigation

  3. Tigrayan forces retake Mekelle

    After a Tigrayan counteroffensive, the federal government announced a unilateral ceasefire and Tigrayan forces re-entered Mekelle, shifting the war into a wider phase beyond the initial federal offensive.

    Sources: OHCHR-EHRC Joint Investigation, Al Jazeera Mekelle Ceasefire

  4. Tigrayan forces withdraw toward Tigray

    Following a government counteroffensive in which drone warfare became increasingly prominent, Tigrayan forces withdrew from positions in Amhara and Afar and opened a path toward a temporary reduction in large-scale fighting.

    Sources: ECFR Drone Warfare in Ethiopia

  5. Humanitarian truce begins

    Ethiopia declared an indefinite humanitarian truce intended to facilitate aid into Tigray, creating a months-long pause before the war resumed.

    Sources: Al Jazeera Humanitarian Truce, OHCHR September 2022 ICHREE Statement

  6. Fighting resumes after the truce

    The UN-backed human-rights commission reported that fighting resumed after roughly five months of cessation, with renewed drone attacks, suspended humanitarian access, and reports of Eritrean involvement near the border.

    Sources: OHCHR September 2022 ICHREE Statement, ECFR Drone Warfare in Ethiopia

  7. Pretoria cessation of hostilities signed

    The Ethiopian federal government and TPLF signed an African Union-led agreement in Pretoria committing to an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, restoration of constitutional order, and monitoring arrangements.

    Sources: African Union Cessation of Hostilities, PA-X Pretoria Agreement Text

Phases

Nov 3, 2020 - Jun 28, 2021

Federal and allied offensive in Tigray

The war began with attacks on ENDF Northern Command positions, followed by an Ethiopian federal offensive supported by Amhara and Eritrean forces. Federal-allied forces took Mekelle in late November 2020, while Tigrayan forces continued fighting outside the capital.

Jun 28, 2021 - Mar 24, 2022

Tigrayan counteroffensive and wider northern war

Tigrayan forces retook Mekelle and pushed into neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. The government counteroffensive later forced Tigrayan forces back toward Tigray, with drones, air strikes, artillery, and captured heavy weapons shaping the catalog evidence for this phase.

Mar 24, 2022 - Nov 3, 2022

Truce, renewed offensive, and Pretoria agreement

A humanitarian truce paused major fighting for several months before renewed combat in August 2022. The war closed with the Pretoria agreement, which committed the federal government and TPLF to a permanent cessation of hostilities and implementation monitoring.

External Support

Eritrean Defence Forces and Amhara regional forces fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces in the early war, according to the OHCHR-EHRC joint investigation. Defense and policy reporting also links Ethiopia's wartime drone capability to suppliers and reported deliveries from the UAE, Iran, China, and especially Turkey, while Tigrayan heavy weapons in the catalog are documented mainly as captured or held systems rather than external transfers.

Images

Destroyed private residences in Werkamba, Tigray after warfare in December 2020
Destroyed private residences in Werkamba, Tigray, photographed after December 2020 fighting.Jnyssen / Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 4.0Source: Jnyssen / Wikimedia Commons
Refugee camp in Sudan connected to the 2020 Tigray War displacement crisis
A refugee camp in Sudan in March 2021, used on Commons for 2020 Tigray War refugee coverage.USAID / Wikimedia Commons | Public domain, U.S. federal government workSource: USAID / Wikimedia Commons

Weapons

2020 Tigray War Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

4/4
Mohajer-6, Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAV, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMohajer-6Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAVSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: Armed UAV surveillance and strike supportBuilt: Qods Aviation Industries / IranThe Mohajer-6 is an Iranian armed ISTAR UAV built by Qods Aviation Industries for surveillance, targeting, and light precision-strike missions. It has been documented in Russian service in Ukraine, Ethiopian government use during the 2020 Tigray War, Sudanese Armed Forces use in Sudan, and Iranian cross-border strikes against Kurdish opposition targets in Iraq.
Armed UAV, Armed unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsArmed UAVArmed unmanned aerial vehicleSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: Armed drone strike and ISR supportBuilt: Various manufacturers / VariousArmed UAVs are military drones configured to carry guided weapons while still performing surveillance and target-acquisition duties. In the 2020 Tigray War, investigative reporting tied Ethiopian government drone strikes to the campaign, making armed UAVs a major part of the conflict's air war even when the underlying airframes varied by supplier.
Bayraktar TB2, Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsBayraktar TB2Medium-altitude long-endurance UAVSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: Armed UAV strike and reconnaissanceBuilt: Baykar / TurkeyThe Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish MALE armed UAV built by Baykar for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike missions. Developed from 2012 and delivered to Turkish inventory in 2014, Baykar reports more than 1.25 million operational flight hours, and the aircraft became one of the most visible armed drones of the 2020s through documented use in Ukraine, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Sahel, Sudan, Somalia, and other conflicts.
Su-27, Twin-engine air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-27Twin-engine air-superiority fighterSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: Air-to-ground bombingBuilt: 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

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

3/3
2A14 23 mm cannon, 23 mm gas-operated autocannon, Air DefenseAir Defense2A14 23 mm cannon23 mm gas-operated autocannonSide: Tigray forcesRole: Short-range air-defense cannon in ZU-23 installationsBuilt: KBP Instrument Design Bureau / Tulamashzavod / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 2A14 is the air-cooled 23 x 152B mm autocannon at the core of ZU-23 and ZU-23-2 short-range air-defense guns, with a quick-change barrel and a belt-feed layout that can be arranged from either side. Public conflict evidence most often documents it through the mounts that carry it: ZU-23-2 guns in Ukrainian service, SPLA-N air-defense fire in South Kordofan, Armenian and Artsakh losses in Nagorno-Karabakh, Houthi firing around Hudaydah, Tigray Defence Forces heavy weapons, and 2A14-pattern or ZU-23-2-pattern weapons with rebel forces in northern Mali.
Igla, Man-portable infrared-homing surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseAir DefenseIglaMan-portable infrared-homing surface-to-air missile systemSide: Tigray forcesRole: Short-range air defenseBuilt: KB Mashinostroyeniya / Soviet Union / RussiaThe Igla family is a Soviet/Russian shoulder-fired MANPADS built to give small air-defense teams a mobile, infrared-guided weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles. Documented conflict use and fielding spans Ukrainian mobile air-defense teams, PKK use against a Turkish AH-1W helicopter, Syrian armed-group inventories, RSF fielding in Sudan, and Indian Army Igla-S teams reported in Operation Sindoor coverage.
ZU-23-2, Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannon, Air DefenseAir DefenseZU-23-2Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannonSide: Tigray forcesRole: Short-range air defenseBuilt: KBP Instrument Design Bureau / Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Russia / Bulgaria / Poland / Egypt / ChinaThe ZU-23-2 is a Soviet twin 23 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon built around two 2A14 guns on a light carriage. Its manual sighting, rapid emplacement, and high volume of fire make it a close-range air-defense weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and drones, while many operators also use it for direct fire against light vehicles and infantry positions. Ukrainian forces have used ZU-23-2 guns in mobile and positional air-defense teams during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, Armenian-side losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting included towed and vehicle-mounted ZU-23 guns, and conflict monitors documented ZU-23 or ZU-23-2-pattern use in Yemen, Tigray, and northern Mali.

Category

Artillery

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

8/9
BM-21 Grad, 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryBM-21 Grad122 mm multiple rocket launcherSide: Tigray forcesRole: Captured area rocket artilleryBuilt: Motovilikha Plants / Soviet defense industry / Soviet Union / RussiaThe BM-21 Grad is a Soviet 122 mm multiple rocket launcher built around a 40-tube launcher on a wheeled truck chassis. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it remains a common area-fire system on both sides, valued for rapid salvos and mobility but dependent on shoot-and-scoot tactics because the launcher is carried on an unarmored truck.
D-30 122 mm howitzer, 122 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryD-30 122 mm howitzer122 mm towed howitzerSide: Tigray forcesRole: Towed artillery fire supportBuilt: Artillery Plant No. 9 / Soviet Union / RussiaThe D-30, also known as the 2A18, M1963, or Frog, is a Soviet 122 mm towed howitzer designed by OKB-9 under F. F. Petrov and built at Plant No. 9 in Yekaterinburg. Its three-trail carriage gives 360-degree traverse, and official U.S. Army support material describes the gun as still manufactured internationally and fielded by more than 60 countries' armed forces.
M-46, 130 mm towed field gun, ArtilleryArtilleryM-46130 mm towed field gunSide: Tigray forcesEthiopian government and alliesRole: Long-range towed artillery fire supportBuilt: Motovilikha Plant / Norinco / Soviet Union / ChinaThe M-46 is a Soviet 130 mm towed field gun built for long-range counter-battery and field-artillery missions. Its high-velocity gun, long standard range, and licensed Chinese Type 59 branch kept the design in Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Russian, and Ukrainian conflict contexts decades after its first Cold War fielding.
2S19 Msta-S, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery2S19 Msta-S152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: Government heavy 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.
AH-2 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm / 52-caliber towed gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryAH-2 155 mm howitzer155 mm / 52-caliber towed gun-howitzerSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: Ethiopian government heavy artilleryBuilt: Norinco / ChinaThe AH-2 is Norinco's longer-barrel 155 mm / 52-caliber export development of the AH-1/PLL01 towed howitzer family, combining NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition with an auxiliary power unit and longer-range ordnance. Public references identify Algeria and Ethiopia as users, and the clearest conflict-specific claim found for this entry is a secondary report that Ethiopian forces used AH2 towed guns during the 2020-2022 Tigray War.
AR2 300 mm multiple rocket launcher, 300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryAR2 300 mm multiple rocket launcher300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcherSide: Tigray forcesRole: Captured long-range rocket artilleryBuilt: Norinco / ChinaThe AR2 is Norinco's export designation for China's PHL-03 300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcher, a long-range 12-tube system derived from the BM-30 Smerch pattern. Its public conflict record is clearest in Ethiopia, where Tigrayan forces captured Ethiopian AR2 launchers in November 2020 and Oryx reported their subsequent use against Ethiopian forces.
1 remaining

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

3/3
A200 guided rocket, 301 mm guided artillery rocket, MunitionsMunitionsA200 guided rocket301 mm guided artillery rocketSide: Tigray forcesRole: Captured long-range guided rocketsBuilt: China Aerospace Long-March International Trading / China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) / ChinaThe A200 guided rocket is a Chinese 301 mm-class export guided artillery rocket for canisterized long-range precision fire. Public reporting tied the A200 to Belarus's Polonez launch-customer path and ALIT's A200/A300/M20 export launcher family, while Oryx documented A200 rockets and canisters after Tigrayan forces captured Ethiopia's guided-rocket and ballistic-missile force in the 2020 Tigray War.
MAM-L guided bomb, Laser-guided smart micro munition, MunitionsMunitionsMAM-L guided bombLaser-guided smart micro munitionSide: Ethiopian government and alliesRole: UAV-delivered precision strikes in the government air campaignBuilt: Roketsan / TurkeyThe MAM-L is a Turkish laser-guided smart micro munition built by Roketsan for UAVs and light attack aircraft. Official Roketsan data lists a 22 kg, 160 mm weapon with laser guidance, alternative warheads, and a 15 km range, while conflict reporting documents MAM-L use from Bayraktar TB2-class armed drones in Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine, Somalia, and Tigray.
M20 short-range ballistic missile, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsM20 short-range ballistic missileRoad-mobile short-range ballistic missileSide: Tigray forcesRole: Captured short-range ballistic missile for deep strikesBuilt: China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation / ChinaThe M20 short-range ballistic missile, also known as DF-12, is a Chinese road-mobile SRBM built by CASIC for transporter-erector-launcher operations. CSIS describes it as a single-stage, solid-fueled missile with an export range around 280 km, 480 kg payload, PLA service from 2013, and M20A/M20B derivatives. In the 2020 Tigray War, Oryx identified captured Ethiopian M20 missiles used by Tigray forces for long-range strikes.

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

1/1
T-62, Main battle tank, TanksTanksT-62Main battle tankSide: Tigray forcesRole: Captured armored fire supportBuilt: Uralvagonzavod / Soviet UnionThe T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank built around a 115 mm U-5TS/2A20 smoothbore gun, a four-person crew, and a conventional tracked armor layout inherited from the T-54/T-55 design line. Produced in large numbers by Uralvagonzavod, it moved from Cold War export and Soviet service into long-tail combat use: Egyptian and Iraqi T-62s appear in 1970s and 1991 conflict records, while upgraded or inherited T-62M/T-62MV stocks reappeared in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Tigray, and Yemen.

Conflict Sources

Evidence from the war is uneven because access restrictions, communications shutdowns, party claims, and security limits affected reporting. This metadata prioritizes UN/AU documents, high-quality policy reporting, and open-license image pages; weapon-specific claims remain limited to directly sourced catalog entries.

  • OHCHR-EHRC Joint InvestigationPublisher: OHCHR and Ethiopian Human Rights Commission | Note: Supports early-war chronology, party structure, Mekelle capture, June 2021 ceasefire, Eritrean and Amhara involvement, and documented access limitations. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • OHCHR September 2022 ICHREE StatementPublisher: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | Note: Supports renewed fighting after the 2022 truce, reports of drone attacks, suspended humanitarian access, and Eritrean involvement near the border. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • African Union Cessation of HostilitiesPublisher: African Union Peace and Security Department | Note: Supports the Pretoria agreement context and its stated aims for cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, restoration of services, and reconciliation. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • PA-X Pretoria Agreement TextPublisher: PA-X Peace Agreements Database, University of Edinburgh | Note: Provides the agreement text and coding for the 2 November 2022 Pretoria cessation of hostilities. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Al Jazeera Mekelle CeasefirePublisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports the June 2021 unilateral ceasefire and Tigrayan return to Mekelle, citing Reuters and local reporting. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Al Jazeera Humanitarian TrucePublisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports the 24 March 2022 humanitarian truce and aid-access rationale. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • ECFR Drone Warfare in EthiopiaPublisher: European Council on Foreign Relations | Note: Supports drone-war context, reported supplier countries, the 2021 government counteroffensive, and the renewed 2022 campaign. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Bellingcat Iranian Drone AnalysisPublisher: Bellingcat | Note: Supports open-source analysis of Ethiopian drone use and possible Iranian-made armed UAVs. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Oryx TDF Heavy WeaponryPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports archive weapon context for visually documented Tigray Defence Forces heavy weapons, including Grad launchers, D-30 howitzers, and D-44 guns. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • OCHA Tigray Access MapPublisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | Note: Supports the Tigray Region map reference and conflict-area location context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Wikimedia Commons WerkambaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image caption, author credit, date, location, and CC BY 4.0 license. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Wikimedia Commons USAID SudanPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image caption, USAID credit, 2020 Tigray War refugee categorization, and public-domain U.S. government work status. | Accessed: 2026-06-20