2006-12-26 20:01:43 · 10 answers · asked by Tyrone 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I bet the Somalis who got bombed didn't think it was too funny!
2006-12-26 20:51:16 · answer #1 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's probably because you're an African American who has never visited Africa and you're buying into stereotypes about Africa from the "Save the Children" campaign ads, National Geographics channel, or South Park. Thus you haven't a clue. It's one of the oldest Christian nations on earth, they were never enslaved, and they never were colonized by Western powers like Thailand. Their economy has traditionally been one of the strongest in Africa except for a famine in the 70's. But their economy is going strong not stagnating like some of its muslim neighbors who like to go back to the 6th century AD.
Economy of Ethiopia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ethiopia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia#Economy
They have a capable Air Force in Africa as someone else posted which includes Su-27 and during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War their Su-27 fighter planes shot down 4 Mig-29 fighters. Some of the planes were flown by Russian trainers. But one of the Eritrean Mig-29 kill victory was preformed by a female Ethiopian Su-27 student pilot which is probably a historic first in military aviation records.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su-27#Combat_service
2006-12-27 08:58:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They seem to be doing a good job.
Notice they are mostly Soviet-made planes and every plane is probably 20~30 years old. So you can rule out 'American Military Aid' in that mix anywhere.....
The Ethiopian Air Force is comprised of;
4 B-57 medium bombers
20 MiG-17 multi-role fighters
28 MiG 21 air superiority fighters
19 MiG 23 multi-role fighters
26 F-5's multi-role fighters
8 SU 27 ground attack fighters
16 Hind-D assault helicopters
I'm not sure what you were expecting..... would you rather see modern shiny planes and people starving to death like we see in North Korea and Iran?
2006-12-27 04:44:29 · answer #3 · answered by wolf560 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The Ethiopian Air Force beat the USAF in 99 in the war games off their coast. So, I would not think them as joke. The USN warplanes saved the war game from being a total loss.
So, I would say they are pretty good.
2006-12-27 08:06:11 · answer #4 · answered by devilduck74 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No its not hillarious. They have a right to make their own air force just as any other country has.
2006-12-27 04:10:51 · answer #5 · answered by rooney 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No they have money and weapons left over from the cold war when the Soviets trained them to fight the American backed Somalis. The superpowers pumped huge amounts of arms and money into countries to fight our war by proxy. Look it up it is recent history.
2006-12-27 04:05:39 · answer #6 · answered by Frank R 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They have enough money for an air force, but not enough to feed their people? Christ.
2006-12-27 07:01:16 · answer #7 · answered by Greg 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not as ridiculous as the Swiss Navy!
2006-12-27 12:32:22 · answer #8 · answered by iraqisax 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The U.S. gives them some planes...they paint "Ethiopia" on it and find some pilots...they drop bombs...nope not funny.
2006-12-27 04:21:04 · answer #9 · answered by trueblue88 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No they are funded by the USA.
2006-12-27 04:09:43 · answer #10 · answered by Sean B 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋