Libya-bound drones disguised as wind Turbines seized by Italy

The China-made drone parts seized by Italian authorities were disguised as wind turbines in order to be shipped to Libya, in violation of a UN embargo, news agencies reported.

Earlier this month, Italian customs found Chinese drone components in six containers at the Port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy. The components were hidden among composite material replicas of wind turbine blades to avoid detection.

The drones were heading for Benghazi in Libya under orders from Gen. Khalifa Haftar.

The Times reported that these were Wing Loong UAVs, which are made in China.

Wing loong drones are potent offensive weapons that are often compared to the MQ-9 Reaper of the US.

The UN found that in 2019, the drone was likely used by Haftar’s forces in attack on the suburbs of Tripoli, where a rival internationally-recognized government is based.