Under the Radar: How Egyptian Drones are Reshaping the Sudanese Conflict
Cairo Escalates Intervention in Sudan via Clandestine Desert Airbase
A US investigation revealed the existence of a secret military base buried deep in the Egyptian Western Desert, from which advanced drones launch deep air raids inside Sudanese borders.
According to the investigation published in the American newspaper “The New York Times,” the base is “carefully disguised” next to huge agricultural circles of wheat crops that appear as precise geometric patterns from space, where the airstrip is seen as part of a large and ambitious agricultural project.
For at least the past six months, this site, officially known as East Oweinat Airport, has become a major hub in the drone war, which has become the most important and influential element in the Sudanese civil conflict that has been ongoing for more than a thousand days.
The New York Times investigation relied on satellite images from companies such as Planet Labs and Venture, flight logs, field videos, and interviews with American, European, and Arab officials.
Sources told the American newspaper that Turkish-made Akinci drones are launched from this base to target the Rapid Support Forces, the main adversary of the Port Sudan forces in the civil war.
This intervention represents a qualitative shift in Egypt’s position, which until recently had been playing a diplomatic role in the Sudanese crisis, but now Cairo appears to be entering the battle directly on the side of the Sudanese army, adding a new dimension to a conflict fueled by the intervention of multiple foreign powers.
Signs of Egyptian escalation began after the fall of El Fasher in the Darfur region at the end of October 2025, which raised concerns for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about the Rapid Support Forces advancing towards new areas.
In December 2025, Sisi warned against crossing the “red line,” after which Turkish drone strikes began to intensify inside Sudan.
Satellite imagery also shows significant expansion at the airport since 2018, with the addition of a second runway and 17 aircraft hangars. In July 2025, Turkish cargo planes carrying Akinci systems landed, and satellite communication systems were installed.
The Akinci drone surpasses the Bayraktar TB2 with a range exceeding 4,500 miles and a munitions-carrying capacity three times greater, and costs up to $25 million each.
From this base, aircraft launched raids on Rapid Support Forces supply convoys coming from Libya and Chad. In November 2025, a video showed four trucks burning in the Sudanese desert after crossing the border.
Other raids also targeted gatherings of fighters in Darfur, killing at least 20 people in one of them, according to weapons experts. The strikes caused massive fires at border crossings such as Adikonj, destroyed buildings, and set fire to the area.
In response, the Rapid Support Forces have shot down at least four Akinci drones in recent months and issued veiled threats of retaliation against the “foreign base” launching the aircraft. Their commander, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti,” stated that any drone taking off from any airport is a legitimate target.
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