The Dejen Aviation Engineering Industry (DAVI) is a center for overhauling and upgrading

military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Some military aircraft engage directly in aerial warfare, while others take on su ...

. Its primary objective is to provide depot level maintenance and carry out upgrading/modification to the fleet of the

Ethiopian Air Force The Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) () is the air service branch of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. The ETAF is tasked with protecting the national air space, providing support to ground forces, as well as assisting civil operations during wa ...

. It is one of the Defense organizations of the

Ethiopian Defense Industry {{Infobox organization , name = Defense Industry Sector , full_name = , native_name = , native_name_lang = , logo = , logo_size = , logo_alt ...

under the

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

History

The aircraft overhauling center was started in mid-1980s as a project under the name Aircraft Heavy Maintenance Center to overhaul

MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames in ...

and

MiG-23 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generation jet fighter, alongside similar Soviet aircra ...

aircraft of the Ethiopian Air Force. The center was intended to have a capacity for overhauling 50 aircraft annually. It never reached full capability by the time the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

ended in 1991. In 1995, the transitional government started reevaluating the project. A team was formed from different organizations and the scope of the center was enlarged to include overhaul of helicopters and transports in addition to fighters as well as carry out upgrade/modification work. The project was implemented in phases and the center was formally inaugurated in 2004.

Operations

DAVI has capability to overhaul and repair the following aircraft types and their systems: * Combat aircraft:

fighters, L-39 jet trainer * Transport and Attack helicopters:

Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. Russian production of t ...

Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories in Russia, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russia ...

Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity transport helicopter, troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced ...

Mi-35 The Soviet and later Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopter has been produced in many variants, as described below. History In 1966, Soviet aircraft designer Mikhail Mil created a mock-up design of a new helicopter (derived from the Mil Mi-8) which was ...

* Transport and Light Aircraft: Antonov 12 and various light aircraft In addition, the complex carries out: * Manufacture of various aircraft bodies, military and civil boats from fiber glass and composite materials. * Manufacture of aircraft parts and accessories * Manufacture of rubber parts for aircraft and other services * Production of plexi glass for aircraft and helicopters * More than nine electro-plating services It was reported in December 2008, DAVI has started manufacturing steel structures and fiber glass for construction of green house to support the fast-growing horticulture sector in Ethiopia.Article title

References

* FDRE Defense Industry, May 2008

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davec Ethiopian Air Force Military industrial facilities of Ethiopia