2023 Sudan War

Ababil-3 and Zajil-3 in the 2023 Sudan War

Critical Threats identified Sudan's Zajil-3 as a locally manufactured Iranian-design Ababil-3 and reported Sudanese Armed Forces use of the type from January 2024 during the 2023 Sudan War.

Weapon profileAbabil-3 UAV
SideSudanese Armed ForcesRoleReconnaissance & SurveillanceTargeting Support
Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - 2023 Sudan War
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Ababil-3 in flight

Timeline

Ababil-3 UAV In 2023 Sudan War

  1. SAF Zajil-3 use reported

    Critical Threats reported Sudanese Armed Forces use of the Zajil-3, identified as a locally manufactured Iranian-design Ababil-3, from January 2024.

    Sources: Critical Threats Drones Over Sudan

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The Ababil-3 record is tied to the 2023 Sudan War through the local Zajil-3 designation. Critical Threats identified the Zajil-3 as a locally manufactured Iranian-design Ababil-3 and reported Sudanese Armed Forces use of the type from January 2024.

Al Jazeera's 2026 drone-war tracker cited Critical Threats for Sudan drone-supply context and described the SAF as relying on foreign-supplied and locally adapted drone systems. This page treats Zajil-3 as the Sudan-specific designation within the Ababil-3 family rather than as evidence that every Ababil-family airframe in Sudan was externally supplied during the current war.

Sources: Critical Threats Drones Over Sudan, Al Jazeera Sudan Drone Tracker

Operational role

The documented side is the Sudanese Armed Forces. The public source set supports SAF use of Zajil-3/Ababil-3 in the drone-war phase that also included Mohajer-6 and Bayraktar TB2 systems.

The available reporting is stronger for identifying the type and side than for assigning a particular Zajil-3 to a named strike. For that reason, the theater role is described as SAF UAV operations and strike-support context, with tighter strike attribution reserved for systems such as the GB50A where recovered fragments identify a specific munition.

Sources: Critical Threats Drones Over Sudan, Al Jazeera Sudan Drone Tracker

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Sources