Khartoum – Sudan Now
The Sudanese Armed Forces said they had shot down a hostile drone near the city of Ad Damazin in Blue Nile State after it entered Sudanese airspace from the direction of the Ethiopian border.
The military said the drone was intercepted on Saturday amid growing aerial activity linked to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Images circulated after the incident showed wreckage consistent with a large unmanned aircraft, including what appeared to be landing gear and engine components bearing the logo of Pratt & Whitney Canada.
Open-source military observers said parts of the wreckage appeared similar to components used on the Turkish-made Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicle, which uses twin PT6A turboprop engines. Sudan Now could not independently verify the exact model of the aircraft.
The incident comes weeks after Sudanese officials accused United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia of involvement in drone operations targeting strategic sites inside Sudan, including Khartoum International Airport.
Earlier this month, Sudanese military spokesman Asim Awad Abdel Wahab said the army possessed what he described as documented evidence showing drones entering Sudanese airspace from Ethiopian territory, including from the direction of Bahir Dar Airport.
Sudanese officials have also previously claimed that technical investigations linked one of the drones shot down in March to the UAE, allegations that Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied.
The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has increasingly involved drone warfare, long-range strikes and attacks on infrastructure since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
There was no immediate comment from Ethiopian authorities regarding Saturday’s incident.
