In mid-August 2025, Sudan signed a US$1.5 billion defence contract with Pakistan — one of the largest arms export deals in Sudan’s modern history. The agreement underscored Pakistan’s rising stature as a global arms supplier and reflected Khartoum’s determination to intensify its military campaign in the ongoing civil war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
However, the ambitious deal quickly stalled due to Chinese intervention. Beijing refused to supply key components essential to the agreement while international restrictions on both Sudan and Pakistan’s defence sectors further complicated supply chains.
By mid-October 2025, after consultations between the Sudanese regime and the Defence Industries Corporation (DIS) — formerly the Military Industry Corporation (MIC) — and involved partners, the contract was renegotiated down to just US$230 million.
The revised deal reportedly covers One-Way Attack Unmanned (Combat) Aerial Systems (OWA-U(C)AS), armoured vehicles and joint production of military equipment at DIS facilities for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). It may also include another batch of K-8 Karakorum light attack/training jets for the Sudanese Air Force (SuAF).
The original August plan mentioned ten K-8 aircraft and approximately 220 OWA/U(C)AS platforms. The SuAF already operates around 20 K-8s co-produced by Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation (China) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, known in China as the JiaoLian-8 (JL-8). Sudan previously acquired its K-8s from China despite a UN arms embargo.
Currently, Sudan does not operate any Pakistani-built UAS relying instead on Turkish and Chinese-origin systems. While the October 2025 contract likely retains the same UAS quantities it remains unclear whether the K-8 jets remain part of the package.
Meanwhile, Sudan continues to pursue negotiations with Russia for second-hand Su-27 or Su-30 fighters — talks that have been ongoing for several years and are reportedly nearing completion.
