Sudan’s brutal civil war appears to have entered a new phase of air warfare following the downing of a Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Il-76 transport aircraft over Babanusa, West Kordofan, on or around November 4, 2025. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia claimed the shootdown, and debris found at the crash site suggests the introduction of a sophisticated, mobile air defence system that threatens the SAF’s long-held air superiority.
The heavy-lift transport was reportedly on a critical mission to airdrop supplies to the SAF’s 22nd Infantry Division, which is besieged by RSF forces in Babanusa. All crew members aboard the aircraft were killed. Reports on the crew’s composition vary; some sources claim at least five Russian crew members were aboard, while others state it was a mixed crew of two Russians and several Sudanese personnel.
While the SAF’s 22nd Division spokesman confirmed the loss of the Il-76, the official statement attributed the crash to “a sudden technical failure in the right wing, which led to a fire and loss of control.” The SAF did not comment on enemy fire. This narrative, however, is contested by the evidence of weapon fragments, specifically a missile booster stage, reportedly discovered near the wreckage.
The debris found in Babanusa has been identified as belonging to a Chinese-made FK-2000 Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) system. This finding, if confirmed, validates reports from September 2025, when similar missile remnants were found in Kordofan. Those findings suggested that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key backer of the RSF, had supplied these systems to the militia via Chad.
The FK-2000, developed by China’s NORINCO, is a mobile, all-weather air defence solution. It is often described as a functional counterpart to the Russian Pantsir-S1 system, which the UAE also operates. The FK-2000 is designed as a point-defence system, protecting high-value targets or troop concentrations from low-flying aircraft, helicopters, precision-guided munitions, and drones.
Like the Pantsir, its primary components are a sensor-and-command vehicle, missile launchers, and anti-aircraft gun platforms. While technical specifications are scarce, it is reported to combine short-range missiles with a range of 10 to 15 kilometres and twin 30-millimetre cannons for terminal defence.
The successful employment of such a system represents a substantial capability leap for the RSF. For much of the war, the SAF has leveraged its control of the skies, operating attack helicopters, fighter jets, and makeshift bombers with relative impunity. The FK-2000 provides the RSF with a mobile, effective counter to those air assets, allowing them to enforce their sieges from the air as well as the ground.
The downed aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-76 (NATO reporting name: Candid), a four-engine, heavy-lift transport that has been the workhorse of Soviet and Russian-aligned air forces for decades. The Il-76 is valued for its ability to operate from unpaved and remote airstrips, making it ideal for the logistics of the Sudanese conflict. However, it is a large, relatively slow-moving target, especially during a low-altitude air drop, making it highly vulnerable to SHORAD systems.
This specific airframe was reportedly purchased in Kyrgyzstan just six weeks ago for $12 million, fitting a pattern of SAF and RSF proxies sourcing airframes and contract crews from Central Asian and Russian operators.
This loss is not an isolated incident. On October 21, 2024, another SAF-operated Il-76 (registered ST-JAN, formerly EX-76011) was shot down over Malha in North Darfur. That aircraft, operated by the Kyrgyzstan-based New Way Cargo Airlines, was also on a mission to resupply a besieged SAF garrison in Al-Fashir when it was struck and destroyed.
The RSF’s incentive to field advanced air defences is clear. The SAF has been widely criticised for its indiscriminate air campaign, which includes using its transport fleet as makeshift bombers. Reports indicate SAF crews have modified Antonov transport aircraft (such as the An-12 and An-30) by installing removable roller conveyors in the cargo bay. From these, they roll unguided 500-pound bombs out of the rear hatch over target areas. This highly inaccurate tactic, illegal under international law, has devastated urban areas.
The Babanusa shootdown demonstrates the tactical evolution of the RSF. The group is no longer just a militia; it is an organised force capable of acquiring and effectively deploying advanced weapon systems to counter a state military’s conventional advantages. For the SAF, the loss of this Il-76 and its crew erodes its critical logistics capability and forces a difficult trade-off: either risk more high-value air assets on predictable resupply runs or abandon its besieged garrisons.
In the same vein, at least four Sudanese Army Akinci drones as well as two Bayraktar TB2 drones have been shot down so far. The Rapid Support Forces’ consistent neutralisations challenge the Sudanese Armed Forces’ reliance on air superiority.