Drone warfare now extends beyond Ukraine and Iran to war-torn Sudan
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Sudan's civil war has continued since April 2023, when the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) first clashed across the country's cities and provinces.
Above the battlefields, a quieter contest has unfolded between two very different classes of unmanned aircraft flying for opposing sides.
A Turkish-built Bayraktar Akıncı has repeatedly intercepted Chinese-made CH-95 drones flown by the RSF this summer.
The CH-95 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft built for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and strike missions.
It weighs around 650 to 1,000 kilograms, carries a payload of up to 170 kilograms, and its endurance can exceed 12 hours depending on configuration, with a reported flight ceiling above 7,000 meters.
The Akıncı belongs to a substantially heavier class, with a maximum takeoff weight around 6,000 kilograms, payload capacity of up to 1,350 kilograms, and endurance exceeding 24 hours.
Its reported service ceiling is about 13,700 meters, while its wingspan is roughly 20 meters (66 feet).
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According to footage shared by Clash Report on X, a Bayraktar Akıncı is shown engaging a Chinese-made CH-95 in midair.
The footage appears to capture the interception from the Akıncı’s perspective, with the opposing drone visible before the engagement ends.
The incident followed several other reported CH-95 and FH-95 losses since June 23, creating a growing pattern involving these aircraft families.
At least six Chinese-made drones have reportedly been destroyed since then, with several losses attributed to Akıncı interceptions.
This drone contest above Sudan is proving to be very expensive both in human losses and financially.
