The moment a drone destroyed a 'packhorse' transport plane in Sudan

Sudanese militia launched a suicide drone to attack a government army C-130 transport plane near Khartoum, destroying the plane.

The Rapid Response Force (RSF) militia group in Sudan on March 20 posted a video of it deploying a small suicide drone to attack a C-130H Hercules transport aircraft of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).

The attack is believed to have taken place on March 19 or 20, at the Sudanese military's Wadi Saydana air base, about 22 km north of the capital Khartoum.

The video begins with an aerial view of the Wadi Saydana base, followed by a C-130H transport plane moving on the runway, seemingly having just landed. The entire process of landing and arriving at the parking spot is closely monitored.

The moment a drone destroyed a 34-ton US-made 'workhorse' aircraft in Sudan — RSF drones attack and destroy Sudanese army C-130H aircraft in video posted on March 20. Video: *RSF*

Moments later, a fire broke out on the starboard side of the aircraft, caused by a hit from an RSF suicide drone. The hit sent the C-130H into a cloud of black smoke, while soldiers at the base fled in panic.

"The video, shot from a long distance and lasting more than a minute, shows that the raid was carefully planned after observing the enemy's movements," said Parth Satam, a commentator for Eurasian Times .

It is unclear what type of drone RSF used in the attack. The group has previously posted videos of using quadcopters to drop explosives on streets, or using suicide drones to attack buildings and vehicles in an attempt to assassinate senior SAF officials.

This appears to be the first time images of Sudanese military heavy equipment being attacked by RSF using drones have appeared.

This type of weapon has been around for a long time, but only really gained much attention after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. Drones, especially the first-person view (FPV) type, are used with high frequency on the Ukrainian battlefield, thanks to their low cost and ease of production, but can destroy heavy equipment that costs thousands of times more if they attack a vulnerable location.

The C-130 is a mainstay air transport aircraft nicknamed "workhorse" produced by the US. The aircraft weighs more than 34 tons and can carry 19 tons of cargo or 64 paratroopers.

The aircraft is designed to perform transport, troop transport, and ambulance missions and is capable of taking off and landing on short, field runways.

US C-130 transport aircraft in Texas in June 2016. Photo: US Air Force — US C-130 transport aircraft in Texas in June 2016. Photo: *US Air Force*

The Sudanese army and the RSF, formerly known as the Janjaweed, fought together to overthrow the government of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Two years later, these forces continued to cooperate to carry out a coup that overthrew the transitional government in Sudan at that time.

The RSF and SAF were due to sign an internationally-backed plan for the formation of a civilian government in Sudan in April 2023. However, the plan collapsed due to disagreements between the RSF and SAF. Armed conflict between the two sides then broke out and continues to this day.

Pham Giang (According to Eurasian Times, Defense Blog, Reuters )

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