INTRODUCTION

Although Ethiopia has produced small-caliber ammunition for at least 60 years (and probably 90 or more), little information is publicly available regarding Ethiopian outputs, and knowledge of Ethiopian cartridges is largely restricted to specialist circles. This piece is intended as a general introduction to Ethiopian ammunition production, with a deeper look at three calibers produced during the post-WWII period under the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie.

ARES has accessed substantial quantities of Ethiopian-made 7.92x57mm, .30-06 and 7.62x51mm cartridges from this period, which are becoming more accessible in global civilian markets, particularly in the United States. We have assessed the physical characteristics and markings of both the cartridges and their packaging, below. ARES Researcher Ian McCollum has also conducted some limited velocity testing.

HISTORICAL PRODUCTION

The first ammunition factory in Ethiopia was established sometime during the early 20th century. According to an Ethiopian defence industry source, the first ammunition production facility was founded under the reign of Emperor Menelik in 1911 to produce ammunition for “Wejigra and Wechefor rifles.” A Czech source describes the first factory in Ethiopia as having been established by Czech interests, sometime in the 1920s, under the reign of Empress Zäwditu. In exchange for exported hides and skins, Ethiopia imported Czech glassware, furniture, sugar, textiles and porcelain. Another source refers to a factory of this time period only as “Tiyet Fabrica” and gives no further details. In any case, the outputs of this factory or factories appear to be limited, and little is known about the subject today.

Between 1947 and 1950, the Emperor Haile Selassie I Ammunition Factory was established in Addis Ababa by Považské Strojárne of Czechoslovakia. It is possible that this factory may have been built on the site of the earlier Tiyet Fabrica, or simply constituted a retrofit and upgrade of that same factory. Some sources refer to this as the Mexico ammunition factory,” in reference to its location near Mexico Square, in Addis Ababa. During this period Ethiopia also served as the “cover destination” for Czechoslovak arms deliveries to Israel. The communist coup d’état of February 1948 in Czechoslovakia did not dampen relations much, and the factory received ongoing support from the Warsaw Pact-aligned regime.

It appears that after the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie, the ammunition factory in Addis Ababa bearing his name was renamed, and the “M.E.D.” headstamp was introduced. This may be an acronym for the Department of Defence Industry (DDI), the government office under the Ministry of Defence that became responsible for all defence production in Ethiopia. This eventually became the Defense Industry Sector (DIS), and later was reconstituted under the state-owned Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC).

Ammunition was originally produced primarily for domestic use, in calibers required by the Ethiopian Armed Forces. A range of firearms were used over the decades, but some important ones for our purpose included: FN Herstal M30 series bolt-action rifles; the Czech ZH-29, FN Herstal M30 BAR self-loading rifles; ZB vz. 26 general-purpose machine guns in 7.92x57mm; M1 Garand and Browning M1918 BAR self-loading rifles; M1917 and M1919 general-purpose machine guns in .30-06; and Springfield M14 and Beretta BM 59 self-loading rifles (7.62x51mm).

The 7.92x57mm, .30-06 and 7.62x51mm cartridges assessed by ARES share marked physical similarities with Czech cartridges, confirming accounts of Czech support in providing manufacturing equipment and technical support. .303 British cartridges were also produced for Ethiopian domestic use. At some point during production (with examples from 1959–1963), 7.92, .303 and .30-06 cartridges were marked with a caliber designation in the headstamp.

CONTEMPORARY PRODUCTION

Current production of ammunition in Ethiopia takes place under the auspices of the Homicho Ammunition Engineering Industry (HAEI), which is located 140km to the west of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, in the Western Shewa Zone of the Oromia regional state, near the town of Ambo. Homicho was established in 1987 as “Project 130.” The factories were established with Soviet and North Korean assistance. In 2010, the company was restructured as a subsidiary of the state-owned METEC. It is sometimes referred to in unofficial Ethiopian sources as the Homicho Ammunition Engineering Complex.

HAEI has produced 7.62×39, 7.62x54Rmm, 12.7x108mm and 14.5x114mm cartridges. In addition to small-caliber ammunition, Homicho has also produced medium- and large-caliber munitions and components. An official METEC source describes the outputs as ranging from “7.62mm bullets up to 130mm artillery ammunitions.” According to official information, HAEI is comprised of seven factories located on a 980,000 square meter lot in a 224-hectare complex, producing the following outputs:

1.    Small- and medium-caliber ammunition

2.    Large-caliber ammunition

3.    Extrusion and forming

4.    Cases and liners

5.    Explosives and propellants

6.    Fuzes and detonators

7.    Rockets

7.62×39, 7.62×51, 7.62x54R and possibly other caliber cartridges without headstamps have been produced by Homicho in recent years. The three confirmed calibers all feature cartridge cases, projectiles, primers, sealants and other details consistent with the post-Selassie .30-06 and 7.62×51 detailed herein. Examples of unmarked HAEI cartridges can be seen in Figure 2.5, which is from a “Small Arms Survey” report examining weapons documented in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states of Sudan in 2013.

HAEI has supplied substantial quantities of its products to the Ethiopian military and domestic law enforcement, as well as the Armed Forces of Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and elsewhere. Examples have also been documented during seizures from non-state actors in various African states, including the Central African Republic, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, and in the holdings of private security companies such as Saracen International Ltd.

Homicho has also been under international scrutiny for its ties to North Korea. In addition to historical Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) assistance in constructing and operating the Ambo plant, HAEI previously listed the Korea Mineral Trading General Corporation (a DPRK state-owned entity) as one of its major suppliers in a company document. Important Ethiopian outputs—including the development and production of the ET-97 and ET-97/1 self-loading rifles—have been directly supported by the DPRK (in this case the Korea Ryongbong General Corporation). Assistance continued until at least as recently as 2007, and both the UN and Western states pressured Ethiopia to sever ties. Analysis shows there has been an ongoing relationship between the two countries in more recent years.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

A quick visual analysis of random samples across all three calibers indicated that the ammunition was clean and well-packaged, with clear annealing marks on the shoulders. All examples were free from obvious external corrosion. The 7.62 NATO showed some evidence of a case mouth sealant below the neck.

Projectiles

The .30-06 and 7.62 cartridges feature ball projectiles with a lead core and a gilding metal-clad steel (GMCS) jacket. The 7.92 cartridges also feature lead-core ball projectiles, but a single box of ammunition contained cartridges featuring projectiles with a mix of GMCS and cupronickel-clad steel (CNCS) jackets. These were all marked with the same headstamp.

ARES Researcher Ian McCollum pulled and weighed projectiles taken from 10 rounds of each caliber. The bullet weights (in grains) were as follows:

NOTE: The average weight of 7.92 GMCS projectiles was 197.6 grains, while the average weight of 7.92 CNCS projectiles was 197.2 grains.

Profile view of the projectiles from the three calibers assessed. Note the GMCS and CCS projectile jackets for the 7.92x57mm cartridges, at right.

Propellant

While the 7.92x57mm cartridges make use of a square flake-type propellant, cylindrical propellant is used in both the .30-06 and 7.62x51mm rounds. That used in the .30-06 is of the cord-type, with no perforation, while the 7.62 rounds make use of single-perforated tubular type.

Markings

The markings on the ammunition packaging and the headstamps are in Amharic, the official working language of Ethiopia, and are marked in the fidäl or Ge’ez script. The headstamps of the 7.92x57mm ammunition ARES assessed, for example, are marked “ቀኃሥ”, which is transliterated as follows:  YESቀ = q+ä = qä

ኃ = h+a = ha

ሥ = s+ə = sə

These are the initials of Haile Selassie, whose name is written in Amharic as “ቀዳማዊ ኃይለ ሥላሴ.” This can be transliterated to Latin script as Qädamawi Haylä Səllasé, so his initials are “Qä. Ha. Sə.” or “ቀ ኃ ሥ,” as seen on the headstamps.

The 7.62x51mm and .30-06 cartridges assessed by ARES are marked with the headstamp “መ ኢ ድ,” or “M.E.D.” These headstamps appeared following Emperor Haile Selassie’s removal from the throne in 1974.

All of the cartridges assessed used the Berdan priming system. The 7.92 cartridges featured a translucent blue sealant at the primer annulus, while the .30-06 and 7.62 cartridges featured a translucent red sealant.

The headstamps and packaging markings for each of the calibers assessed were as follows:

7.92x57mm Headstamp

.30-06 Headstamp 

 7.62x51mm Headstamp

PACKAGING

7.92x57mm Packaging

7.92x57mm ammunition was packaged in inner cardboard packaging (with white ribbon pull-tabs) of 15 rounds. Twenty of these smaller cardboard boxes were contained within intermediate cardboard packaging. Five 300-round boxes were contained with each wooden crate, for a total of 1,500 rounds per crate. Markings were as follows:

Outer Packaging 

Intermediate Packaging

Inner Packaging

.30-06 Packaging

Two packaging methods for .30-06 ammunition were observed in the ARES sample. For the ammunition packaged in bandoliers, four bandoliers of six en bloc clips were packaged in each ammunition can. The ammunition can was an over-painted western example. The clips were marked ”SF” for ”Serini in France.” Other reported examples are marked ”BRW,” “HA,” “IS” and “SA.” Each clip holds eight rounds, for a total of 192 cartridges per can. Markings were as follows:

Outer Packaging

Inner Packaging 

Loose cartridges were packaged in cardboard inner packages (with white ribbon pull-tabs) of 15 rounds. Twenty such cardboard boxes were contained within each ammunition can, for a total of 300 rounds. The ammunition can was probably an over-painted western example. Markings on the outer packaging were as follows (the inner boxes were unmarked):

Outer Packaging

 7.62x51mm Packaging

7.62x51mm cartridges were packaged in 20-round inner cardboard boxes, with cardboard dividers between four sections of five rounds each. Fourteen of these packages were included in each ammunition can, for a total of 280 rounds. The can was an over-painted British H82 Mk 1 type, produced in February 1959. Markings on the outer packaging were as follows (the inner boxes were unmarked):

Outer Packaging 

 TEST-FIRING

In order to gather more data about this little-known ammunition, ARES also tested the velocity of a sample of these cartridges. Fifteen rounds of each caliber were test-fired, and a chronograph was used to record the projectile velocity (given below in feet per second) at a measured distance of 3m from the muzzle of the weapon (V3).

The rifles used for testing the ammunition were as follows:

.30-06                         M1917 Enfield (26in. barrel)

7.62×51         Israeli Kar.98K rework (23.6in. barrel)

7.92×57          German Kar.98K (23.6in. barrel)

The recorded velocities were as follows:

NOTE: Entries marked with an asterisk (*) required two primer strikes before functioning.

During testing, both the 7.92 and 7.62 cartridges exhibited hang-fires in approximately 50% of cases. None of these exceeded 0.5 seconds in duration (estimated). Video of some of this testing is being uploaded to Mr. McCollum’s Forgotten Weapons YouTube channel for consumer interest.

7.92x57mm

.30-06  

7.62x51mm

Data collected by Ian McCollum. Special thanks to Fitsum Abera, Jack Dutschke, Federico Graziano and Daniel Hughes.

See armamentresearch.com for further original content.