China’s J-10CE has foreign buyers, but not yet a market
Por Tang Meng Kit — South China Morning Post – News feed
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Opinion Tang Meng Kit China’s J-10CE has foreign buyers, but not yet a market
In service in Pakistan and Uzbekistan and on Bangladesh’s radar, the fighter jet is not yet a threat to Western market dominance
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Tang Meng Kit Tang Meng Kit is a Singaporean freelance analyst and commentator who works as an aerospace engineer. Published: 8:30pm, 14 Sep 2026 Uzbekistan’s recent confirmation that China’s J-10CE fighters have entered into service in its air force ended months of speculation. It is the latest of three developments that include Pakistan’s use of J-10CEs in combat last year and Bangladesh’s draft procurement paper for the Chinese aircraft.
Read separately, each looks like a win for the J-10CE. Taken together, however, they show something narrower: the Chinese aircraft is gaining export traction without yet winning a clean contest against a Western rival.
Pakistan’s file is the one that changed the sales pitch. In May last year, Pakistan Air Force said its J-10CE fighter jets had fired at Indian aircraft during the conflict that followed India’s “Operation Sindoor” strikes. Pakistani officials claimed that five Indian aircraft were shot down, including three Rafales. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
