Another Turkish-Made Akıncı Combat Drone Bit The Dust In Sudan (Video, Photos)

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The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on January 8 shot down a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akıncı combat drone of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over southwestern Sudan, the sixth such confirmed aerial losses in the country in under a year.

The drone was downed over the city of Nyala in the state of South Darfur, the paramilitary force said in a statement, claiming that it was involved in attacks on civilians.

“[The drone] was trying to target innocent civilians, as part of a series of attacks carried out by the.. SAF that operates under the so-called terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group, committing grave violations, most recently included the targeting and shelling of hospitals and public markets in the Al-Zuruq area in North Darfur,” the statement reads

The RSF didn’t provide additional details, but the wreckage of the drone seemed almost intact in videos and photos from the crash site.

The paramilitary force and the SAF has been engaged in a power struggle over Sudan for more than two years now, with both drawing in support from key regional players like the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

The Akıncı, produced by Baykar, is one of Turkey’s largest drones with a wingspan of over 20 meters. It has an operational range of 7,500 kilometers, an endurance of 25 hours and a service ceiling of over 12 kilometers. The drone, which costs around $30 million, was developed to carry out strategic missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision strikes.

In March of last year, a report by The Washington Post revealed that several Akıncı drones were supplied to the SAF alongside smaller Bayraktar TB2 combat drones under a secret $120 million deal with Baykar.

2025 saw a total of five such drones being shot down by the RSF, with the first loss of the year reported on July 10, and the last in November.

The drones are believed to have been all shot down by FK-2000 and FB-10A short-range air defense systems supplied by the UAE after being indirectly purchased from China. These systems have a range of 25 and 10 kilometers, respectively.

While Turkey has been aggressively promoting the Akıncı as being capable of carrying out missions usually preserved for manned fighter jets, the poor performance of the costly drone in Sudan indicates that it is not suitable for operations in contested airspace.

Baykar claims that the drone is equipped with electronic warfare and countermeasures systems for self-defense. These systems are either completely ineffective, or were not installed in drones sold to the SAF.

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