AKINCI Shoots Down Two Chinese Drones Over Sudan in a Single Day: Eighth Kill Since June

A Turkish-built Bayraktar AKINCI combat drone flying for the Sudanese Armed Forces shot down two Chinese-made CH-95 (FH-95) drones in a single day over Sudan, according to open-source tracking. It was the eighth air-to-air kill credited to the AKINCI since June 2026.

The latest engagements took place amid the civil war that has pitted the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since 2023. Flying in SAF service, the AKINCI has repeatedly intercepted and destroyed Chinese-origin CH-95-class drones operated by the RSF in aerial engagements over the course of the summer and into the autumn.

Analysts attribute the AKINCI’s edge in these encounters to its altitude performance. Capable of operating up to 40,000 feet, the platform can cover a wider search area than the slower CH-95/FH-95-class systems it is facing, giving it a tactically favorable position before engagement. That advantage has turned the conflict into one of the more closely watched examples of what open-source defense observers are calling drone-on-drone warfare, with uncrewed systems now hunting each other directly rather than only striking ground targets.

The string of engagements in Sudan amounts to a real combat record for the AKINCI’s air-to-air performance, something no test range can replicate. Baykar’s heavy-class unmanned platform has historically been associated primarily with strike missions against ground targets; the repeated kills over Sudan show the aircraft being tested in an air-defense and counter-UAS role as well.

The pattern carries export significance for Turkey’s defense industry. The AKINCI is already in service with multiple countries, most notably Azerbaijan, and a proven air-to-air record in a live low-intensity conflict gives Baykar a concrete data point to cite in future export discussions. The field performance also reinforces Turkey’s broader claim to technological credibility in unmanned systems with an operational track record behind it, rather than manufacturer specifications alone.

At the same time, the reported kill counts are not a final, officially confirmed figure from Sudanese authorities; they represent a running total compiled by open-source media tracking individual incidents as they surface. Given the fog of war and the difficulty of independent verification on the ground, the exact number could shift as more information emerges.

Baykar’s footprint in Africa extends well beyond Sudan. Its unmanned aircraft family is in service with a number of countries on the continent, favored particularly by militaries seeking low-cost, high-impact strike capability in asymmetric conflict environments. The AKINCI’s aerial engagement record from Sudan gives those existing operators a tangible reference point for the platform’s multi-role potential.

Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF, continues to affect large parts of the country. Both sides have made heavy use of drones for reconnaissance and strike missions, making the conflict one of the most drone-intensive civil wars on the African continent. In that context, the AKINCI’s air-to-air successes are being tracked as a factor that directly affects the battlefield balance rather than an incidental footnote.

Analysts note that field experience gathered in this kind of low-intensity but sustained conflict provides manufacturers with data that cannot be replicated under controlled test conditions. The series of engagements, testing the AKINCI against targets flying at varying altitudes and speeds, is building a performance record that could feed into Baykar’s future development and upgrade work.

Sources:

• Defensa.com, “Un dron ‘Akinci’ derriba dos drones chinos en un solo día en los cielos de Sudán”, September 29, 2026 — used for the latest two-kill incident and the cumulative count.
• Army Recognition, “Turkish Akinci drone shoots down Chinese drone Sudan”, 2026 — used for technical background on the engagements.
• Defence Blog, “Akıncı drones keep hunting Chinese-made CH-95s over Sudan”, 2026 — used for the AKINCI’s altitude advantage and the pattern of repeated engagements.
• TechRadar, “Huge 66-ft Turkish drones are hunting million-dollar Chinese UAVs in Africa in another war barely anyone talks about”, 2026 — used for the broader context of the conflict.