Former Kalitta Boeing 727 Now Reportedly Used to Transport Weapons for Islamist Paramilitary in South Sudan

A former Boeing 727 freighter once operated by U.S. cargo airline Kalitta Air is now believed to be transporting weapons for an Islamist paramilitary group in South Sudan.

Update: December 114, 2025. This aircraft might have been destroyed.

Kalitta recently sold three of its aging Boeing 727 freighters to an undisclosed buyer in Africa. Two of the aircraft, which had been out of service for some time, were ferried from the United States to Africa in May and June 2025. A third remains parked in the U.S.

This website earlier reported about the delivery of the aircraft to Africa here and here.

The first jet delivered, registered as N726CK, ended its ferry flight in N’Djamena, Chad. A second, N729CK, also flew to Chad, where it remained for several days before continuing to Rand Airport near Johannesburg, where it is still parked. The purpose of this aircraft remains unclear.

For months, the whereabouts of N726CK remained unknown. That changed when video footage emerged showing the aircraft landing at Nyala Airport, located in western Sudan. The airfield is controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group that has been fighting Sudan’s national army since 2023 and is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

👉 Video of N726CK at Nyala Airport

The sighting recalls the 2023 UAE weapons airlift, during which dozens of flights transported arms from the Emirates to Chad.
👉 Background on the UAE airlift

The recent footage of the Boeing was reportedly filmed by a Colombian mercenary.
👉 More on Colombian mercenaries in Sudan

Colombian investigative outlet La Silla Vacía has also published an in-depth report on the role of Colombian fighters in Sudan.
👉 “Lobos del Desierto: Así operan los mercenarios colombianos en Sudán”

A screenshot from the Nyala video (left) shows the jet in its mostly gray Kalitta livery with most of the cheatline removed—a distinctive design associated with the U.S. operator. At N’Djamena, most of the cheatline was painted over in white, and the American registration marks were removed. According to FAA records, the aircraft has since been registered in Malawi. The photo on the right shows the aircraft on its delivery to Chad.

The former N726CK no longer appears on public flight-tracking platforms such as Flightradar24. It is suspected the jet is now flying routes between N’Djamena and Amdjarass in Chad and Nyala and Juba in Sudan. Coverage of FR24 around N’Djamena is generally strong, suggesting the aircraft’s transponder may have been deliberately switched off.

Several websites report this Boeing 727 was destroyed at October 23, 2025. Like Aviation Safety Network: Unconfirmed reports indicate that Boeing 727 was destroyed at Nyala Airport, Sudan. The Sudanese Air Force announced the destruction of an cargo plane as it was landing at Nyala Airport at 01:40. See also this Reddit post.