Egypt and Saudi Arabia buy Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets

It was reported that Egypt is negotiating with China to buy 12 Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon (NATO: Firebird) multirole fighter jets to boost its air force.

Intelligence website Tactical Report reported that the Egyptian Ministry of Defense is in talks with representatives of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group at the Lima 2023 exhibition, Langkawi, Malaysia.

According to the sources, Egypt is interested in acquiring the J-10C which is an upgraded version of the J-10B equipped with a new AESA radar in addition to the PL-10 missile guided by an infrared imaging (IIR) seeker.

The aircraft is powered by a Shenyang WS-10 turboprop engine that develops thrust of 120-140 kN.

Currently, the Egyptian Air Force is reinforced with MiG-29 fighter jets from the Soviet Union and modern French-made Dassault Rafale jets.

Previously, the Egyptian Air Force failed to acquire the Russian Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jet due to US pressure through CAATSA sanctions.

In addition to Egypt, the Royal Saudi Air Force is also looking to acquire J-10Cs from China to replace the Panavia Tornado fighter jets.

According to the Tactical Report website, Saudi Arabia will begin phasing out 80 Panavia Tornado multirole combat aircraft.

Currently, the Royal Saudi Air Force operates 200 F-15S/SA Strike Eagle combat aircraft, 60 F-15C Eagle units, 21 F-15D Eagle units, and 72 Eurofighter Typhoon units.

It is known that Saudi Arabia’s relations with China have strengthened in recent years.

Moreover, China agreed to buy oil from Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia agreed to accept the Chinese Yuan currency in the deal.

The Chengdu J-10C is a 4.5 generation aircraft that competes with the American Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper, the French Rafale, and the Russian MiG-35.