The Ivorian Armed Forces have officially taken delivery of at least two Chinese-made Wing Loong II medium-altitude, long-endurance armed reconnaissance drones, making Côte d’Ivoire the second country in West Africa—after Nigeria—to operate the platform.

The deliveries stem from a procurement contract signed on June 14, 2024, in Abidjan between Ivorian Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara and Hu Guangxi, vice president of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC). At the time, Abidjan did not disclose the type or quantity of aircraft ordered.

According to the AIP news agency, an affiliate of Agence France-Presse, the purchase of these “new-generation flying vehicles” is intended to “better defend the country’s airspace and strengthen the operational and deterrent capabilities of the Ivorian Armed Forces in the face of current security challenges, particularly the fight against terrorism.”

The report added that the equipment would allow the Ivorian military to “rank among the sub-region’s military powers.”

The drones were formally received by the Ivorian Air Force during a handover ceremony in Bouaké. Chinese technical teams are currently training Ivorian operators, and the drones are expected to be primarily deployed for counterterrorism operations in the country’s northern regions.

The Wing Loong II is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, capable of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision-strike missions. The platform is frequently positioned as a lower-cost alternative to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper. Early Wing Loong I models were estimated to cost about $1 million to $2 million per unit—substantially below comparable American systems at the time.

The more advanced Wing Loong II offers greater payload capacity, satellite communications, and extended strike range.

Beyond Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria and Morocco have also acquired the Wing Loong II, while Egypt operates other variants of the Wing Loong family. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia have likewise purchased Chinese-made combat drones.

Côte d’Ivoire has traditionally maintained close military ties with France but has in recent years diversified its defence procurement to include China, the United States, and the European Union.

The delivery of the Wing Loong II comes as international defence manufacturers compete for Africa’s growing drone market, with suppliers from China, Turkey, the United States, Russia, and others expanding their presence on the continent.