To bolster their forces, both sides thus enlisted foreigners, mostly from the former Eastern bloc to train combat pilots in Eritrea and Ethiopia respectively.

The ETAF supported the offensive, first by launching misleading air strikes to distract the Eritreans from Operation Sunset's preparations, and then with extensive bombing attacks as the Ethiopian ground forces pushed forward.

One surviving Eritrean pilot later commented that this caused great consternation in the ERAF, as its members felt that their lives were thrown away for little gain.

[7] However, Ethiopian sources, including veteran pilots of the war, strongly disputed that the Russian experts had flown combat missions on their behalf in 1999.

A number of different accounts exist of the resulting air battle, though all agree that the Ethiopian was victorious and Girmay killed.

Tolossa signalled to the Eritrean pilot, and realized that he was her former instructor; she warned him to land at Debre Zeit, but he refused, whereupon she opened fire.

[8] The air battles left the Eritreans with just two operational, combat-capable MiG-29 and two pilots qualified to fly them, severely limiting their aerial capabilities.

After February 1999, Eritrea avoided direct combat with enemy aircraft and did not commit air attacks.