New UAV type deployed to support Sudan's RSF

The BZK-005E/Sky Saker FX1000A displayed on the Norinco stand at the IDEX show held in Abu Dhabi in February 2023. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)

A new type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been deployed to an airport controlled by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), satellite imagery shows.

An image acquired by Vantor on 6 May shows a UAV with a twin-boom and pusher propeller configuration with a wingspan of about 18 m at Nyala airport, where smaller Chinese-made CH-95 UAVs have been previously deployed to support RSF operations against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the ongoing civil war.

The best match for the new UAV is the BZK-005, a type developed by Beihang UAS Technology and widely used by the Chinese military. The Shahpar III advertised by the Pakistani company GIDS is very similar but is stated to have a wider wingspan of 19.8 m and has not entered service.

The BZK-005E export version was announced in November 2018, when it was stated to have a maximum take-off-weight (MTOW) of 1,500 kg with a 370 kg payload and an endurance of up to 40 hours, depending on the payload.

The UAV has subsequently been promoted internationally by Norinco as both the BZK-005E and Sky Saker FX1000A, the latter name being one in a series of unmanned aircraft promoted by the Chinese company.

Mauritania's air force appears to be the only confirmed export customer for the type. In June 2024, President Mohamed Ould Sheikh al-Ghazouani was shown on television being briefed on UAVs that were being acquired. The UAV type was not identified, but ones that looked like BZK-005s were shown with Mauritanian markings.