AKINCI Downs Chinese CH-95 Drone Over Sudan, Marking First Combat Use of Turkey’s EREN Missile
A Turkish-made Baykar AKINCI unmanned combat aerial vehicle operated by Sudan’s army shot down a Chinese-made CH-95 drone flown by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) northwest of El Obeid on July 13, 2026, according to open-source defense trackers. A second CH-95 was destroyed on the ground in the same strike package. Reports circulating since then identify the weapon used as Roketsan’s EREN air-to-air missile, calling the engagement its first documented combat use.
At a Glance
- Date: July 13, 2026 (reported roughly one month later, on August 13)
- Location: North Kordofan state, northwest of El Obeid, Sudan
- Combatants: Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) vs. Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
- Shooter: Baykar AKINCI, operated by SAF
- Target: Chinese-made CH-95 drone, flown by RSF and reportedly sourced via the UAE; one downed in the air, a second destroyed on the ground
- Weapon: Roketsan EREN air-to-air missile (some accounts also cite MAM-L/MAM-T munitions)
- Related development: AKINCI reportedly also struck a Chinese-made FK-2000 air defense system in the same operational window
- Verification status: Not confirmed by Baykar or Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense; sourced from OSINT accounts and defense outlets
Background
Sudan has been consumed by civil war since April 2023, pitting the regular army against the RSF paramilitary force in a conflict that has displaced millions and spread from Khartoum to Darfur and the Kordofan states. Both sides have leaned heavily on drones over the past two years. SAF operates Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and AKINCI platforms, while RSF is widely reported to have gained access to Chinese-built systems, allegedly funneled through third countries including the UAE — a claim Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied.
El Obeid has been a recurring flashpoint since 2024, serving as a key SAF stronghold in North Kordofan. Over the last eighteen months the skies above Sudan have become an unusual proving ground for drone-on-drone combat, a tactic still rarely documented anywhere in the world. The July 13 engagement, if the reporting holds up, stands out as one of the clearest cases yet of an armed drone using a dedicated air-to-air munition to destroy another drone in flight.
What It Means for Türkiye
For Turkish industry, the reported engagement carries weight beyond a single battlefield outcome. It positions AKINCI as capable of air-to-air roles, not just strike missions against ground targets — a distinction that could matter for future export pitches. More significant still is what it would mean for Roketsan’s EREN missile: a “combat proven” label, once verified, tends to carry real weight with prospective buyers, since performance under actual combat conditions is treated differently from range-test data. Even absent an official Ankara statement, the episode is already being cited across defense media as a reference point for the maturity of Turkey’s drone-and-munitions ecosystem.
FAQ
What is the CH-95? A Chinese-made medium-altitude, long-endurance drone used for reconnaissance and light strike missions. RSF is alleged to have obtained it via the UAE, though this has not been officially confirmed.
What is the EREN missile? An air-to-air missile developed by Roketsan for use by drones against aerial targets. Open-source reporting frames the July 13 incident as its first documented use in actual combat.
Has RSF made counterclaims? Yes. Sudan’s drone war runs in both directions — RSF has claimed, at various points between January and August 2026, to have shot down AKINCI aircraft. Those claims are inconsistent and have not been independently verified, so they should be treated with the same caution as the SAF-side reporting.
Is the FK-2000 strike a separate incident? According to available reporting, the AKINCI strike on the FK-2000 air defense system occurred within the same operational period as the CH-95 engagement, though it remains unclear whether it was part of the same mission or a distinct one.
