MANPADS and the RSF in Sudan

[John Ashworth]

Attached please find a new report from the Small Arms Survery entitled
"Arsenal Upgrades: MANPADS, the RSF, and the War in Sudan" by Matt
Schroeder, June 2026.

Overview

This Briefing Paper analyses the illicit acquisition and use of
man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) by the Rapid Support Forces
(RSF) as revealed in media reporting and social media posts, including
posts by the RSF itself, since the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war
in April 2023. Data collected for this paper indicates that the RSF
has acquired at least eight different models of MANPADS, including
five advanced models—more than any other armed group in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region. The RSF is also the first
non-state armed group to obtain recent-generation Chinese FN-16
MANPADS. These findings highlight two important proliferation trends:
the gradual supplanting of Soviet-/Russian-designed MANPADS with
recent Chinese designed systems, and the continued proliferation of
advanced MANPADS despite international counter-MANPADS initiatives and
norms.

https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-HSBA-BP-2026-MANPADS-EN.pdf

END
_____________________
John Ashworth

ashwor...@gmail.com

+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)

PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya