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Chinese J-16 fighters arrive in Egypt ahead of Eagles of Civilisation 2026 joint drill
🇨🇳 China /Conflict & Security

Chinese J-16 fighters arrive in Egypt ahead of Eagles of Civilisation 2026 joint drill

From South China Morning Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Chinese J-16 fighter jets have arrived in Egypt for the "Eagles of Civilisation 2026" joint military exercise.
  • This marks the first deployment of the J-16 to Africa and follows China's participation with J-10C fighters last year.
  • The exercise, which began preparations Friday, will focus on air combat tactics and air superiority operations.

A fleet of Chinese J-16 fighter jets has landed in Egypt, marking the aircraft's first-ever deployment to the African continent ahead of the "Eagles of Civilisation 2026" joint exercise. The planes and their aviators arrived at an Egyptian airbase on Friday morning after a nine-hour, 6,000km journey that included mid-air refueling, according to the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Service personnel involved in the drills have commenced preparations, with the exercise expected to conclude early next month. The J-16 fighter has previously participated in overseas drills with countries like Russia and Pakistan, but this engagement represents its inaugural joint exercise with the Egyptian air force.

Last year, China deployed lighter, single-engine J-10C fighters during its initial joint exercise with Egypt. The PLA has stated that this year's "Eagles of Civilisation" exercise will concentrate on enhancing capabilities in air combat tactics and achieving air superiority.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by South China Morning Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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