Cairo’s reported purchase is latest sign of Beijing’s growing leverage in region aiming to reduce reliance on West for military tech

Seong Hyeon Choi
Published: 3:00pm, 21 Sep 2024

Egypt’s reported purchase of Chinese fighter jets is a sign of Beijing’s increasing leverage in the Middle East as the region attempts to diversify its military procurement to rely less on the United States, analysts said.
According to Bulgarian defence news portal Bulgarian Military, the Egyptian defence ministry reportedly placed its first order for China’s J-10C 4.5-generation fighter jets on August 19.

However, there was no official announcement about the purchase from either Cairo or Beijing. The Egyptian government did not respond to the South China Morning Post’s emailed requests for details about the arms agreement.
If Egypt officially adds the Chinese-made fighter jet to its air force, it will join Pakistan as the second country outside China to operate the J-10 series. Pakistan received its first shipment of the aircraft in March 2022.
The reports came as China showed off the J-10 jets at the first Egypt International Air Show earlier this month. It was Beijing’s first time showcasing the combat aircraft in Africa.

The J-10C first entered service with the Chinese air force in 2018. It is a variant of the J-10 4.5-generation multirole combat aircraft and is equipped with a Chinese-produced WS-10B engine. It has often been compared to the American-made F-16 fighters in its capabilities and role.

Egypt’s rumoured purchase of the J-10Cs is probably aimed at replacing its ageing fleet of F-16 fighter jets, which Cairo first introduced in the 1980s. The combat capabilities of the US-made jets are outdated as Washington has restricted weapons sales to the Middle Eastern country because of alleged human rights violations.

While the US had proposed upgrading Egypt’s F-16s to F-16Vs, Cairo reportedly opted to procure the J-10C. The Chinese jet is considered to outperform its US counterpart in air-to-air combat and strike missions using its PL-10 and PL-15 missiles. It is also seen to have better manoeuvrability and avionics.

“The J-10C offers superior combat capabilities compared to the enhanced F-16V model while being similarly priced,” said Gedaliah Afterman, head of the Asia policy programme at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Relations at Reichman University in Israel.