Sudanese paramilitary forces, locked in a stalemate with the national army, now mount Chinese electronic warfare gear on their vehicles to counter unmanned threats. Open-source imagery shows the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fitting Wolves Team jammers and WS-DF-500A detectors onto off-road trucks, tools that disrupt drone links and pinpoint operators. These additions come as the RSF claims fresh kills of Turkish-made drones, tilting the aerial balance in a war that drags into its third year.
The Wolves Team system, a vehicle-mounted jammer from a Chinese firm, blasts signals across multiple frequencies to sever drone-operator ties. It reaches up to 2.5 kilometres with 600 watts of output, enough to scramble navigation and video feeds without needing line-of-sight precision. Operators tune it for common bands like 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or GPS at 1.5 GHz, forcing drones into failsafe modes or crashes. This setup trades pinpoint accuracy for broad coverage, a fit for mobile units patrolling Sudan’s vast deserts where fixed defences falter.
Paired with it, the WS-DF-500A radio frequency detector sniffs out unmanned aerial vehicles through passive listening. Built by WaveSonic Technology, the device uses CRPC 2.0 software, which decodes data streams at the application layer to pull details like video feeds, serial numbers, altitude, speed, and pilot locations. It processes signals in real time over 100 MHz to 6 GHz, spotting threats up to 3 kilometres in open terrain. Such extraction beats basic radar by revealing intent, say a scouting drone versus a loitering munition, though it demands clear channels to avoid clutter from civilian signals.
These tools mark a shift for the RSF, once ground-focused fighters rooted in Darfur militias. In July 2025, the group formed the Government of Peace and Unity, a rival administration that rallies western and central rebels to claim 46 per cent of Sudan’s land. This parallel structure, based in areas the army struggles to hold, coordinates arms flows from patrons like the United Arab Emirates. Earlier diversions include Chinese FB-10A short-range missiles, originally bound for Chad but rerouted to RSF hands by February 2025. Belarus adds to the mix: the RSF fielded Groza-S jammers until the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) seized one in a January 2025 base raid north of Khartoum. That system, from KB Radar, deploys mast antennas to spoof or blind drones, much like its Chinese counterparts.
Drones dominate Sudan’s skies, where both sides lean on foreign suppliers for an edge. The SAF fields Turkish Bayraktar Akinci high-altitude platforms, each packing 1,500 kilograms of payload for strikes up to 7,000 kilometres out. Yet RSF defences have felled at least four Akinci this year, including two in September over West Kordofan and South Darfur, plus a third on October 7 near El Fasher. Wreckage photos show scorched fuselages and control surfaces, often from man-portable missiles or jammers that trigger mid-air failures. Add in downed Bayraktar TB2s, and the toll hits six or more, eroding the SAF’s early drone advantage. The RSF counters with its own fleet, launching loitering munitions from Darfur bases to hit Port Sudan airstrips.
On its own part, the Sudanese Armed Forces are also fielding two Chinese-made anti-drone jammers to fight off unmanned systems operated by the Rapid Support Force (RSF). One is the SkyFend Hunter C-UAS, and the second, the Ching Kkng anti-drone jammer.
Across Africa, cheap drones upend security equations, from Libyan proxy fights to Sahel insurgencies. Nations like Nigeria and Mali scramble for counters, but budgets lag: many rely on outdated radars that miss low-flying quadcopters. Jammers fill gaps by overwhelming signals, yet they risk collateral jams on friendly comms or civilian flights. Detectors like the WS-DF-500A offer smarter triage, feeding data to effectors for selective takedowns. Still, proliferation breeds escalation; RSF gains prompt SAF bids for Iranian or Russian upgrades. In Sudan, these systems prolong the deadlock. The RSF’s parallel government signals no quick end, as foreign arms sustain both camps. Commanders adapt on the fly, blending jammers with missiles to deny the skies.