The Ivorian Air Force has acquired two Chinese-built Wing Loong II medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft for border surveillance, maritime monitoring and counter-terrorism operations.
The acquisition was confirmed in an official video published by the Ivorian Air Force on 10 August 2026. According to the service, the aircraft has a wingspan of more than 20 metres, can operate at altitudes of up to 9,000 metres and has an endurance exceeding 20 hours.
Its onboard sensors support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, while the aircraft also has a fire-support capability that allows it to engage targets at range.
The Wing Loong II is manufactured by Aviation Industry Corporation of China and exported through China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation. It is marketed as a reconnaissance and strike platform and as an upgrade of the earlier Wing Loong I, with improvements to flight performance, sensors, data transmission and weapons carriage. The performance figures provided for the Ivorian aircraft are attributable to the Air Force announcement.
Côte d’Ivoire had previously concluded an aerospace contract with CATIC. Téné Birahima Ouattara, then Minister of State and Minister of Defence, and CATIC Vice-President Hu Guangxi signed the agreement in Abidjan on 14 June 2024. The Ministry of Defence announced the contract on 20 June, describing its subject as “vecteurs aériens de dernière génération”, or next-generation aerial platforms.
The ministry said the acquisition was intended to strengthen airspace security and improve the operational and deterrent capabilities of the Forces Armées de Côte d’Ivoire in responding to security threats, including terrorism. It did not identify an aircraft type, quantity or delivery schedule, and neither the ministry nor the Air Force has publicly linked that contract to the Wing Loong II acquisition.
