Egypt Hosts Chinese J-10C Fighters, ‘Flying Radars’ and Tankers For Major Joint Exercises

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force was on April 20 confirmed to have deployed J-10C fighter aircraft supporting by KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&amp;C) systems to Egypt to participate in the ‘Eagles of Civilisation 2025’ joint air exercises with the Egyptian Air Force. The exercises are taking place at a time of growing tensions between Egypt and Western Bloc states, primarily due to the sustained pressure that has been placed on Cairo to accept much of the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip as part of plans to place the territory under the control of neighbouring Israel. Egypt’s current fighter inventory is compromised overwhelmingly of Western aircraft, with <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/egypt-f16s-40-years-downgrade" target="_blank">over 180 F-16s</a> in service and 54 Rafale fighters on order. The <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/can-t-shoot-very-far-why-egypt-s-massive-but-downgraded-f-16-fleet-is-totally-obsolete-for-modern-warfare" target="_blank">extensive downgrading</a> of Western fighters sold to Egypt is reported to have strengthened Cairo’s interest in procuring Chinese fighter aircraft, namely the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/j10-25yrs-china-air-force" target="_blank">J-10C</a> and J-35, with a number of sources <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/egypt-j10c-f16s-reports" target="_blank">having claimed</a> that the first orders for J-10Cs were placed in 2024. As China itself faces growing military pressure from Western Bloc states in the Pacific, the strengthening of defence ties with Egypt and bolstering of the African state’s defences has the potential to yield major strategic dividends.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/21/article_6805ac70af6030_35017600.jpeg" title="Chinese PLA Air Force KJ-500 AEW&amp;C">The Egyptian Air Force is the only service in Africa to deploy airborne early warning and control systems, namely American E-2 Hawkeye aircraft procured during the Cold War. With the E-2 today considered increasingly obsolete, and lacking compatibility with Chinese fighter aircraft, the possibility remains significant that deployment of the KJ-500 to Egypt may be intended to allow the Egyptian Air Force to evaluate its capabilities and consider procuring it for their own fleet. Participation in Eagles of Civilisation 2025 represents the first overseas deployment of the KJ-500, which highlights China’s growing readiness to extend the operational reach of its high value support aircraft, at a time when its fleet of AEW&amp;Cs is growing at a far greater rate than that of any other air force in the world. The PLA Air Force also deployed YY-20 tanker aircraft to refuel its fighters and AEW&amp;Cs in the air, allowing them to make the 6000 kilometre journey to Egypt and subsequently conduct longer range operations. Procurement of the YY-20 by Egypt has also been raised as a possibility, as the country currently lacks any classes of long range fighter aircraft which makes the ability to refuel in the air highly prized.&nbsp;China’s position as the only country other than the United States to have developed a substantial fifth generation fighter program, and its apparent lead in developing sixth generation fighters, has significantly bolstered the prestige of its combat aviation sector and increased foreign interest in making procurements.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/21/article_6805ac44774e65_17981640.PNG" title="Egyptian Air Force MiG-29M During Eagles of Civilisation 2025">Operating alongside Chinese J-10s, the Egyptian Air Force deployed its only non-Western class of modern fighter aircraft the MiG-29M, 46 of which were <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/why-egypt-bought-the-russian-mig-29m-when-it-already-had-america-s-f-16c-a-look-at-future-fleet-modernisation-plans" target="_blank">ordered from Russia in 2015</a> which made the country the largest operator of the class. The aircraft were purchased under a new administration at a time of worsening relations with the Western world, and are the country’s only modern fighters which have not seen their air-to-air capabilities downgraded. The J-10C has a significantly superior air-to-air combat capability than any fighter in the Egyptian Air Force, while also benefitting from lower maintenance needs and operational costs than its F-16, Rafale or MiG-29M. The Chinese fighter combines fifth generation level avionics including an AESA radar and cutting edge electronic warfare systems, with access to two of the world’s most capable air-to-air missile classes the PL-10 and PL-15. To place these capabilities in perspective, Rafales in Egyptian service <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/serbia-downgraded-rafale-no-missiles" target="_blank">lack access</a> to the class’ primary air-to-air missile the Meteor, due to European objections to straightening Egypt’s aerial warfare capabilities, while the country’s F-16s continue to rely on wholly obsolete Cold War era variants of the AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles. Exercises with the PLA Air Force are expected to highlight the major discrepancies between the capabilities of the equipment which China and the Western world can offer Egypt, and the major transformation to capabilities which greater investment in procurements from China could allow the country to realise.&nbsp;