Commander of the Ethiopian Air Force

The Commander of the Ethiopian Air Force is the chief and highest-ranking officer of the Ethiopian Air Force The current commander is Lieutenant General Yilma Merdasa.

Commander of the Ethiopian Air Force
Flag of Ethiopian Air Force
Incumbent Lieutenant General Yilma Merdasa since 21 June 2018^[1]
Ethiopian Air Force
Member of	Ethiopian National Defense Force
Reports to	Chief of General Staff
Appointer	the President of Ethiopia
Formation	1929
First holder	Mischka Babichef

List of officeholders

Source:^[2][3]

Ethiopian Empire (1929-1974)

• Mischka Babichef (1929-?)^{[citation needed]}
• Colonel Hubert Julian (?-May 1935)^[4]
• Colonel John Robinson (May 1935-?)
• Carl Gustaf von Rosen (1947-1962)^{[citation needed]}
• Christian Nilsson (1957-1962)^[5]
• Brigadier General Asefa Ayana (1962-1967)^{[citation needed]}
• Major General Abera Woldemariam Mariam (1967-1974)^[6]

Derg/PDRE (1974-1991)

• General Asefa G. Egzi (1974, 3 months)
• Brigadier General Yohannes Woldemariam (1974-6 December 1974)^[7]
• Brigadier General Taye Tilahun (6 December 1974-19 September 1977)^[8][9]
• Major General Fanta Belay (19 September 1977-1987)^[10][11]
• Lieutenant General Mengistu kassa (1956-)
• Major General Amha Desta (1987-17 May 1989)^[12]
• General Alemayehu Agonafir (1989-1992)

Ethiopia (1991-present)

• Lieutenant General Yilma Merdasa (since 21 June 2018)

References

1. "Premier Appoints New Air Force Commander". ENA. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
2. "Commanders". www.formerethiopianairforce.com.
3. "Biography". formerethiopianairforce.com.
4. "Ethiopian air force History". formerethiopianairforce.com.
5. "Swedes in Haile Selassie's Ethiopia, 1924-1952".
6. Andrew Laurence (29 March 2014). "Ethiopia: Colonel John C. Robinson - Father of Ethiopian Airlines". Addis Ababa: AllAfrica. The Reporter. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
7. "In Memoriam - Brigadier General Yohannes Woldemariam". Bread and Water for Africa. 12 December 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
8. "ETHIOPIA REPLACES 14 IN TOP POSITIONS". The New York Times. 7 December 1974. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
9. D. Shifaw (2012). The Diary of Terror: Ethiopia 1974 to 1991. Trafford Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-4669-4525-8.
10. "ዝክረ – ግንቦት 8.1981:- የአብዮታዊው ሰራዊት ጥቁር ቀን !!!". ethioreference.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
11. Berouk Mesfin. The Role of Military Power in Ethiopia's National Security (1974-1991) (PDF) (Masters thesis).
12. "የጄኔራል ደምሴ ቡልቶ ልጅ 'መራር' ትዝታ". BBC News አማርኛ (in Amharic). Retrieved 14 March 2023.