Kinshasa negotiates three new Chinese attack drones

Congolese security officials are discussing a costly contract with the Chinese giant Catic to acquire three aircraft

and prepare the army's counteroffensive against the M23 in the east of the country.

In February, negotiations reached an advanced stage between Kinshasa and the state-owned China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp (Catic) regarding a major drone procurement project. In this context, General Jules Banza Mwilambwe's general staff expects to receive various stocks of munitions, including FT-10 guided bombs, PL-10 (air-to-air) and HJ-10 (anti-tank) missiles, as well as BRM-1 guided rockets to equip three Wing Loong attack drones. Kinshasa hopes to receive the first aircraft by the end of the year.

A few days after the fall of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, to the M23 rebels, the Congolese Minister of Defense, Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita, committed on February 2 to acquiring these long-range drones and a control station, at a cost of €172 million.

The particularly expensive purchase project has drawn criticism from Congolese security circles.

However, it should allow operators of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) to benefit from four months of training in China, while Catic could provide maintenance for the equipment for a period of five years. The acquisition of drones for the FARDC was described as "very important" by the Minister of Defense in a letter requesting approval sent to Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka in early February. The three aircraft are intended to carry out deep strikes against M23 elements and their supporters in the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

Military Cooperation Agreement

The discussions follow a military cooperation agreement signed between the DRC and China in September 2024, on the sidelines of Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita's visit to the Ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing. While the negotiations involved the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, they did not involve President Félix Tshilombo's Military Staff, headed by General Franck Ntumba. The latter's position has been weakened since the beginning of the year due to the operational successes of the coalition between the M23 and the RDF in the east of the country.

In 2023 and 2024, the FARDC already received attack drones from China. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (Casc) was then contracted by Kinshasa to deliver a total of nine CH-4 drones, several of which were quickly shot down.

Beyond Chinese suppliers, the Congolese authorities have also approached the Belarusian state agency BelTechExport (Beltech) to procure aircraft. At the end of last year, the UAVHeli company delivered more than a hundred Berkut kamikaze drones to the Congolese army. The result of an agreement dating back to August 2024. The contract, signed by General Franck Ntumba, also included the delivery of around ten mobile control stations installed on Toyota Land Cruisers and launch platforms.

Regarding training, the FARDC received drone simulators, while around ten Belarusian instructors spent three months in Kinshasa and Kisangani (Tshopo province) to train the Congolese operators. But this equipment has already suffered the consequences of the military debacle in the east. In January, the M23 seized a large arsenal during the capture of Goma, including Berkut drones.