Libya's Haftar acquires combat drones despite UN embargo
By Alexander Dziadosz
Published on April 2, 2026.
Despite a long-standing UN embargo on supplying weapons to Libya, Eastern Libya's military leader, Khalifa Haftar, has acquired what appears to be Chinese and Turkish combat drones. Commercial satellite images show at least three drones at Al Khadim airbase between late April and December. The arrival of these drones would be a significant boost in Hafter's capabilities after the departure of a fleet of Chinese-made Loong II drones. The drones' manufacturers, Xi'an-based defence company Zhongtian Feilong and Istanbul-based Baykar, did not respond to questions about the drones' suppliers or when. The embargo has been in place since 2011, but high-tech weaponry was introduced during the civil war.
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