From Pakistan to Uzbekistan: how China’s J-10CE is widening its overseas reach

Battle-testing modern weapon systems can come at a steep price: a country must send its forces to war. But for China’s 4.5-generation J-10CE fighter aircraft, exports have opened another route. Pakistan provided the aircraft’s first major combat test during its four-day conflict with India in May 2025, when Islamabad’s J-10CEs were used in an air battle. Two US officials told Reuters that at least two Indian aircraft were downed, including a French-built Rafale – though the precise losses, weapons and circumstances remain disputed. That combat validation raised the jet’s foreign sales prospects, and it also set the stage for a wider overseas footprint. As export deals materialise, each new operator could expose the fighter to different climates, basing conditions, combat doctrines and potential adversaries far beyond the East Asian environment for which it was originally developed. This could give China growing operational insight into the aircraft’s performance without having to deploy its own forces. The fighter jet’s overseas reach is already widening. Uzbekistan has become its second confirmed foreign operator, introducing the J-10CE into a Central Asian air force long reliant on Soviet-designed aircraft, while Bangladesh has moved ahead with plans for a possible purchase, with a draft proposal submitted for government approval. What began as China’s effort to develop a modern fighter for its own air force is gradually becoming a higher-end option for a small but growing number of foreign operators. The J-10CE traces its roots to China’s J-10 fighter programme, which dates back to the late 1980s. The aircraft was developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC), part of state-owned aerospace giant Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Its first flight was back in 1998. Early J-10As relied on Russian AL-31FN engines, but successive variants saw the aircraft’s sensors, avionics, weapons and propulsion progressively upgraded. The J-10B introduced a redesigned intake, infrared search-and-track sensor and upgraded avionics. The J-10C then added an indigenous active electronically scanned array radar, improved networking and electronic systems, newer PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and eventually China’s WS-10B engine. That provided the foundation for the J-10CE, the first J-10 variant designed specifically for export. Li Jun, the aircraft’s chief designer at AVIC’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, has said it can be customised for different operating environments and mission requirements, with optional payload packages. That flexibility also extends to the wider support package. China offers the fighter together with its own weapons, training, maintenance and support, while the domestically produced WS-10B engine reduces reliance on Russian suppliers for a critical component. Pakistan became the J-10CE’s first foreign operator in March 2022, adding it to a fleet already built in part around the lighter, lower-cost JF-17 jointly developed with China. Islamabad presented the acquisition as a response to a shifting regional balance of air power after India introduced Rafale fighters, with then prime minister Imran Khan saying the J-10CE would help address a “security imbalance” in the subcontinent. According to the Pentagon, Pakistan ordered 36 J-10CEs, with 20 delivered by May 2025. The International Institute for Strategic Studies called the delivery a “step change” for Chinese fighter exports, marking a shift from ageing designs that it said “did not compare favourably” with Western or Russian aircraft towards a modern fighter equipped with advanced sensors and weapons. In a 2020 assessment for the Royal United Services Institute, air-power specialist Justin Bronk called the J-10 a “rough equivalent” to the US-made F-16 and Sweden’s Gripen, matching most single-engine fighters while being “significantly cheaper to acquire”. While Bronk noted it has less range and lower performance at high altitudes than bigger twin-engine jets, its lower price could appeal to states seeking effective fighters without the political ties attached to Western suppliers. The jet’s appeal, however, rests on more than price. Its radar allows it to detect and track targets, while data links allow it to exchange target information with other aircraft and supporting platforms, helping it use long-range weapons such as the PL-15E missile more effectively. Public estimates of the PL-15E’s range vary considerably. Display specifications at the 2021 Zhuhai air show listed the range at 145km (90 miles), whereas a Xinhua military report in January said the PL-15E’s maximum range could exceed 200km (124 miles). Separately, Reuters reported that Pakistani officials put the May 2025 Rafale engagement at around 200km, while Indian officials said it was even farther. The Indian officials said their pilots had believed the export missile’s range was around 150km. Actual combat range can vary considerably depending on factors such as launch altitude, airspeed and the target’s manoeuvres. More broadly, the clash with India offered only a partial test of the J-10CE. In a separate assessment in January, RUSI noted that the engagement provided “useful, albeit incomplete, insight” into Chinese aviation and missile capabilities. The fighter’s performance demonstrated clear operational credibility, but the outcome ultimately depended on a broader kill chain – the sequence of detecting, tracking, targeting and engaging an enemy aircraft. For Beijing, the episode provided rare operational evidence of how an export package built around Chinese sensors, weapons and data links performs in high-intensity combat involving modern Western-designed fighters. That battlefield credibility could further strengthen the J-10CE’s commercial appeal by adding operational credibility to advantages China already offers on procurement terms. A 2025 Pentagon report noted that Beijing could offer developing nations weapons that were “less expensive than Western systems”, with financial incentives and flexible payment options.

From Pakistan to Uzbekistan: how China’s J-10CE is widening its overseas reach

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Fighter jet is becoming an appealing option for a growing number of foreign operators, potentially providing insight into its performance

Fighter jet is becoming an appealing option for a growing number of foreign operators, potentially providing insight into its performance