Turkish-Made Drones Have Been Launching Strikes In Sudan From Secret Base In Egypt

A Bayraktar Akıncı combat drone. Source: the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

Turkish-made combat drones have been launching strikes against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan from a little known airport hidden in Egypt’s Western Desert, The New York Times (NYT) reported on February 2, citing satellite images, flight records and videos, as well as interviews with American, European and Arab officials.

The RSF, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, has been engaged in a power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), allied to Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, for close to three years now.

According to NYT, Bayraktar Akıncı drones have been taking off from Sharq El Owainat Airport to attack the RSF in Sudan for at least six months now.

The newspaper said that at least two such drones are currently deployed in Sharq El Owainat, which saw major expansion in recent years. In addition to the drones, satellite images from Vantor show a drone command and control system, a satellite communication system, as well as civilian and military Turkish transport aircraft at the airport.

In response to the allegations, Turkish Defense Ministry sources told the NYT that the Turkish Armed Forces do not have any activities in Sudan.

“Turkish Armed Forces do not have any activities in Sudan,” the ministry said in an email to the newspaper.

The report didn’t clarify if Egyptian or Sudanese forces operate the drones, but it noted that the latter made a deal with Baykar, the manufacturer of the Akıncı.

In November of 2023, seven months into the civil war in Sudan, the RSF signed a $120 million deal to buy six Bayraktar TB2 drones, as well as 600 warheads and a training and maintenance package, according to the NYT. Meanwhile, the more capable Akıncı appeared in the country last year.

The Akıncı 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.

What pushed Egypt into the war was the fall of the Sudanese city of El Fasher, in the Darfur region, in late October, four American officials told the newspaper.

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. Two more were shot down in January of this year.

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.

With many drones getting shot down, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported early in January that the Egyptian Air Force itself targeted an arms shipment heading from Libya to the RSF in the border triangle. There was no official confirmation from Cairo. A later report from the Middle East Eye said that Egypt and Saudi Arabia were both pressuring the Libyan National Army to halt the flow of supplies to Sudan.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned in December that a “red line” had been crossed in Sudan, from which 1.5 million refugees had already flooded into his country. All recent developments indicate that Cairo is today more involved in the civil war in Sudan on the side of the RSF.

With support from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian role will likely grow this year. Nevertheless, a full-on intervention is very unlikely.

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