Huge 66-ft Turkish drones are hunting million-dollar Chinese UAVs in Africa
in another war barely anyone talks about

Date:
Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:25:00 +0000

Description:
Turkish and Chinese-made drones are fighting for control of Sudan's skies while civilian deaths from strikes keep climbing sharply.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Sudan's army has destroyed at least six Chinese-made CH-95 drones since June 2026 The Aknc costs roughly
$25 million, twelve times more than the CH-95 Armed drones are now the
leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan 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 Aknc has repeatedly intercepted Chinese-made CH-95 drones flown by the RSF this summer. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Turkish Aknc takes on Chinese CH-95 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. You may like Ukrainian drone that smashed TU-95 bomber is based on a smuggled UAV China refused to sell Ukraine claims $400 FPV drone destroyed Russia's $19 million 'Apache rival' attack helicopter 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been destroyed in the
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The Aknc 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). Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

According to footage shared by Clash Report on X , a Bayraktar Aknc is shown engaging a Chinese-made CH-95 in midair.

The footage appears to capture the interception from the Akncs 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. What
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At least six Chinese-made drones have reportedly been destroyed since then, with several losses attributed to Aknc interceptions. A costly contest above Sudan This drone contest above Sudan is proving to be very expensive both in human losses and financially.

Reported estimates show the Aknc costs about $25 million per aircraft, while an Air University study puts the CH-95 near $2 million from Serbia's SIPRI-recorded purchase.

This is a lot of money to spend on drone warfare for a region that has practically been at war since 2003, when the first Darfur conflict erupted.

United Nations officials have separately warned that drone warfare is causing severe civilian harm across Sudan, especially in Kordofan and other contested regions.

Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths, said Volker Trk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The United Nations said drone strikes accounted for at least 880 civilian deaths between January and April 2026, representing more than 80% of conflict-related civilian deaths.

Those figures put the reported Aknc and CH-95 encounters within a much
broader drone war whose consequences extend well beyond military aircraft.

The Aknc carries radar and air combat weapons, allowing it to engage aircraft without relying solely on ground-based air defenses.

That capability matters because the CH-95 is intended to remain airborne for long periods while gathering information across wide areas.

Sudanese forces have therefore used the Aknc for a role differing from conventional armed drone missions against ground positions.

Earlier reports from July described an Aknc firing an air combat missile at a CH-95 northwest of El Obeid in North Kordofan.

Another operation reportedly destroyed a second Chinese-made aircraft on the ground, although involved forces did not independently confirm those claims.

Human rights investigators have documented Chinese equipment among RSF weapons, while allegations of Emirati involvement in supply routes remain disputed.

The United Arab Emirates has repeatedly denied supplying military support to either side, making claims about specific aircraft difficult to independently verify. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/huge-66-ft-turkish-drones-are-hunting-million-do llar-chinese-uavs-in-africa-in-another-war-barely-anyone-talks-about


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