Conflict archive
A northern Ethiopia conflict involving Ethiopian federal forces and allies against Tigrayan forces.
The 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 archive tracks weapon systems documented in the 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.
7 weapon systemsContext
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
Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Timeline
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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 archive evidence for this phase.
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
Category
Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.
Mohajer-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. In the Russia-Ukraine War it is documented in Russian service, including examples downed or recovered by Ukraine, making it part of the broader Iranian UAV supply chain supporting Russian reconnaissance and attack operations.
Su-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. Ukraine inherited the type after the Soviet collapse and has kept upgraded aircraft in combat during the Russia-Ukraine War, where Su-27s have been documented flying strike missions and carrying Western-supplied AGM-88 HARM missiles despite their Soviet avionics baseline.Category
Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.
Category
Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.
D-4485 mm towed field gunSide: Tigray forcesRole: Captured towed fire supportBuilt: No. 9 Uralmashzavod / Soviet UnionThe D-44 is a Soviet 85 mm divisional field gun developed after World War II as a replacement for the 76 mm ZiS-3. Although originally a towed direct-fire and light artillery weapon, Ukrainian forces have documented improvised mobile use during the Russia-Ukraine War by mounting the gun on MT-LB carriers to gain limited shoot-and-scoot mobility.
BM-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 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..jpg?width=480)
D-30 122 mm howitzer122 mm towed howitzerSide: Tigray forcesRole: Towed artillery fire supportBuilt: Artillery Plant No. 9 / Soviet Union / RussiaThe D-30 is a Soviet 122 mm towed howitzer built around a distinctive three-leg carriage that gives the gun 360-degree traverse. In the Russia-Ukraine War it remains relevant because both armies use Soviet-caliber artillery, Ukraine has received additional D-30s from partners, and Russian D-30 positions continue to appear in frontline strike reporting.Category
Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.
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.
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