During Nov.2005 these photos were sent to me, with a message:
"I was looking for information about C-119s in Ethiopian Air Force and found your propliner website.
Do you know how many of these aircraft were sent to Ethiopia, or was that USAF 7844 the only one? Also, if you know where to find more pictures of that desert camo I would like to know.
Today, there is one ex-Ethiopian AF Boxcar laying in the outskirts of Asmara Int'l Airport in Eritrea. Aircraft is in very bad condition, starport boom has collapsed etc, but at least it still exists.
The photo on the left was taken on 29Sep03 and on the right 05Nov03. The situation was seen unchanged during Jun04."
Ville Vuorela
(Finland)

The book Fairchild C-82 Packet and C-119 Flying Boxcar by Alwyn T Lloyd (Aerofax, 2005) lists the following Ethiopean C-119s:
52-5899 C-119G-FA coded 912 (1 Sqdn)
52-5932 C-119G-FA no code or unknown (1 Sqdn)
53-3160 C-119G-36-FA coded 917 (1 Sqdn)
53-3188 C-119G-36-FA coded 915 (1 Sqdn)
53-7856 C-119G-36-FA coded 911 (1 Sqdn)
53-8108 C-119G-84-KM coded 916 (1 Sqdn)

The book Survivors 2002 by Roy Blewitt (Gatwick Aviation Society, 2002) lists no C-119s at Eritrea but the following at Ethiopia / Debre-Zeyit:
911, 912, 915, 916, 917 as in storage by Apr96; and 918 as derelict (no date).

Ian Carroll offered the following info:
"Former Ethiopian aircraft seen at Asmara, Eritrea in Aug93 and Mar94 were-
C-119K: 910
F-5A: 674.
MiG-21: 1058, 1065, 1082, 1098, 1127, 1129, 1461, 1462
Mi-8: 2006, 2008
Mi-24: 1620
T-33A: 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 252, 264, 270
The photos on your site appear to show a couple of MiG-23s as well.
Ian added the following:
Fairchild C-119K Flying Boxcar: 918 & 919 were former the Belgian C-119Gs CP-29 and CP-37. Whether they wore 918 and 919 needs confirmation.
910 cn11261 (53-7844) Wfu Asmara Mar94
911 cn11277 (53-7856) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
912 cn11066 (52-5899) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
913 cn11111 (52-5932) ....
914 cn11252 (53-7835) ....
915 cn11199 (53-3188) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
916 cn211 (53-8108) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
917 cn11171 (53-3160) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
918 cn11086 (52-6047) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
919 cn11123 (52-6055) Wfu Debre Zeit 1998
(wfu = without further use)
So 910 looks like a safe bet!"
Thanks Ian!

As a note: T-33A 252, 264 and 270 have also been reported as F-86A and in fact are in the F-86 serial range (-Stig).

Nigel Prevett added in support:
Back in 1993 I was on an Ethiopian Airlines 767 to Addis which stopped; I cannot recall if it is/was the only one present, probably.
My notes read:
1993-09-20 Asmara 910 derelict ET C-119
1993-09-20 Asmara ET-AJH wfu ET DC3

Eric Taylor sent me these photos, taken in June 2006 in Asmara, Eritrea. This is C-47A ET-AJH (c/n 19283). The 1984 edition of the Douglas DC-3 and its Predecessors (by Air-Britain) offers the following brief history: "Delivered to the USAAF in Dec.1943 registered 42-100820 and for a period after its delivery the documentation was lost, but it ended up in Iran with the Imperial Ïranian Air Force (numbered 5-10) in Jan.1957." In Air-Britain's follow up edition ("update 2") one can learn that this transport was registered 711 for the Ethiopian Air Force (but no date of transfer) and the fact that it was registered ET-AJH for RRC Air Service on 30Sep87. So how did it get here ? And when ? Eric wrote: "The hulk of the aircraft has been moved to the "Expo Park" in southern Asmara, where I took the attached photo in June 2006." Eric also added: "There is also an ex-Aeroflot An-12, a Boeing 727 ("Training Mockup"? Read more below) and a Canadian Hughes 500C helicopter at the same site. Lastly there is another ex-Aeroflot AN-12 located at the bus station in Massawa, on the Red Sea coast. " Eric later added the following info on the 727: "It's an ex-Aero Zambia Boeing 727-25F, 5Y-BMW (c/n 18255/14) and has quite an interesting history! The aircraft was in Asmara delivering "relief supplies" to the Eritrean government when its left hand wing was damaged by a fuel truck in late May 1998. While awaiting repair and some spares to be brought in, the airplane was strafed by an Ethiopian MiG fighter on 5th June 1998 and damaged by small calibre gun fire. Wiring damage behind the cockpit was of such nature that the whole area needed to be re-wired. It was decided not to repair the plane. The Boeing was purchased by International Air Parts and was stripped of its engines and other parts. The Eritreans proceeded to cut off the wings and tow it for three kilometres down the main airport road to the Expo site, where it now sits, having been repainted all white." Thanks Eric!.

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Last updated 28.11.2005