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The Malian military has received a number of Yitian-L short-range air defense systems from China in what appears to be an attempt to boost air defenses in the face of a growing drone threat.
A convoy with the newly-delivered air defense systems — at least four — and other military equipment was seen moving near the capital, Bamako, in video footage posted online on April 9, although it is unclear when exactly the shipping arrived.
The Yitian-L, developed by China’s defense giant NORINCO, is based on a 4×4 Dongfeng tactical vehicle. The system is equipped with an automated fire control system, including a 3D X-band radar and an electro-optical tracker. It is typically armed with four TY-90 infrared homing missiles, with a range of six kilometers.
The purchase of the Yitian-L brought Mali’s air defenses to a whole new level, as the country’s capabilities in this field were previously limited to anti-aircraft guns.
The systems were clearly purchased to counter the growing threat of drones. Over the past two years, many of the groups fighting the Malian military like the separatist Azawad Liberation Front and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin began employing drones in their attacks, reportedly with help from Ukraine.
While simple first-person view (FPV) drones — which systems like the Yitian-L cannot effectively counter — remain the most commonly used against the Malian military, the past year has seen these groups employing more sophisticated unmanned aerial systems.
For example, Azawad separatists have been documented using larger fixed-wing drones, such as the FDG 410. This is an electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone manufactured by the Chinese company Flydragon and commercially available.
The group also carried out a complex attack last month with mortar fire and FPV drones on Gao International Airport, a key base of the Malian military and the allied Russian Africa Corps. The attack caused very minimal damage and no casualties at all.
The recently-delivered Yitian-L systems will likely be used to protect Bamako, in addition to important bases like Gao International Airport from future attacks.
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