Summary of the work in Ethiopia

the work shown here is only a part of what was involved, since I don’t have more pictures to show. As i have written before, the aft fuselage had to be removed, plus other elements, and a long harness was routed along most of the aircraft.
I took 2 weeks to modify each aircraft, and the Ethiopian Air Force technicians were very cooperative and dedicated, and did the job well. We stayed in Addis Ababa and were driven every day to the air base, about 1 hour drive each way, so the net time available was not long, but we managed to do it on time.
We started on the prototype in one hanger, near the runway, but then we were relocated to another hangar, with no explanation.
Understanding came when An-22 landed, and discharged big crates, out of which Su-27 emerged.
Their flight testing brought some interest to our lives, although I have missed the main event – A Su-27 crashing right on the runway after trying to show off too hard.

MIG-23 throttle activation switch

In these pictures you see the activation switch, used by the pilot to shoot the flares or chaff.
The switch is installed right under the throttle handle, which the pilot holds all the time, so its operation is immediate.
In order to install it we (actually the air force technicians, off course) had to remove it from the cockpit, thread the new harness inside the throttle, and then re install it.
Notice that in the MIG-23 the throttle does not rotate in an arc, as usual, but slides along the horizontal bar that is visible in the left picture.
The quadrant below it, near the seat, is the wing sweep handle, marked with 16-45-72 degrees of sweep.
Also visible in the right hand picture is one more of the system’s units, squeezed tightly between the console and the seat.
This is the main control unit, which allows programing of the system, and also has a jettison switch for emergency.
Off course the seat had to be remove also,to allow us to work, which also required the removal of the canopy. And there was also quite a bit of wiring in that cramped cockpit.

MIG-21 installation

These pictures show the installation of the magazine support structures on both sides of the MIG 21 aft fuselage.
They are attached directly to the skin, and not to a separate panel as on the MIG 23.
In order to produce the parts and make sure they will fit, we built a local mockup of the fuselage in our shop, installed all the parts for the prototype, modified them until everything fit, and then we took the parts to the real aircraft and installed them successfully.
On the RH side you can see the controller box inside the structure. The banner “remove before flight” belong to a safety pin that goes into a safety switch near the controller.

Ethiopian calendar

you may have noticed that the Ethiopian New Year fell on September 12 in 1999.
That is because they use the the Julian calendar and not the Gregorian calendar that most of the world uses

pictures from the Ethiopian Air Force calendar

At the request of MigMan and nadew I have scanned the calendar and here are the pictures. maybe they should also go to the “small air forces” thread.

The installation is completely external, and didn’t require any change to the structure. It is riveted to a removable access panel, just ahead of the speed brake. In fact I received the panel and was able to design and manufacture parts in our company, which was very convenient. I only had to go to India to install it on the panels of the actual aircraft.
There is no fuel tank in this area – inside the aircraft this is where the afterburner duct is located.
As I wrote earlier, I don’t have any pictures, I was not allowed to take any. But If you have any questions I’ll be happy toanswer.

This might help you too. It has the new dispensers.

Hi Nadew
Thanks for the picture
This picture appeared on the 1999 Ethiopian Air Force callendar, which I have.
What I still don’t have is Mig-21 with the chaff & flares