Moscow finds first foreign buyer for Orion-E combat drone in Africa — UNITED24 Media

Ethiopia has acquired Russian-made Orion-E reconnaissance and attack drones, marking the first publicly verified export of the Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) system, Defense Blog reported after the 2026 Aviation Expo.

The Orion-E was displayed on the Ethiopian Air Force’s stand during the event, indicating that the system is currently operating under the Ethiopian mark. This is the first time the drone has been seen in operation outside Russia, although its developer, Russia’s Kronstadt Group, has been selling it internationally for several years.

Orion-E is an export version of the Orion drone, which first flew in 2016 and has since been deployed by the Russian military in Syria and Ukraine. A complete system includes the UAV itself, a ground control station, and associated support equipment.

According to Defense Blog, the drones on display were configured for both reconnaissance and attack missions. The platform is equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors and can carry precision-guided air-to-ground munitions.

Orion-E can fly to a maximum altitude of 7,500 meters and has an endurance of more than 24 hours, depending on payload and mission configuration, Russian documents say.

The Orion platform is primarily used in combat by the Russian military for reconnaissance, target acquisition, and attack missions. Oryx, an open-source intelligence agency, has visually confirmed that at least nine Orion drones were lost during the Ukraine war. This loss demonstrates its vulnerability when operating in conflict airspace, especially to modern air defense systems and electronic warfare capabilities.

Despite these challenges, the Orion family continues to develop and advance. Russia is promoting an upgraded version with improved avionics and communications equipment for foreign customers, but detailed specifications remain limited.

Orion-E has fewer export restrictions and is presented as a cost-effective alternative to Western systems such as the MQ-1 Predator. The drone has been featured at multiple international defense exhibitions, but no foreign operator had been publicly identified prior to the transfer.

Earlier, Ukraine confirmed attacks on major Russian defense facilities related to the production of Orion unmanned aerial vehicles and S8000 “Banderor” cruise missiles. Attack drones attacked an unmanned aircraft factory operated by Kronstadt in the Moscow region city of Dubna.

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