After Pakistan, Uzbekistan gets China’s J-10 fighter; Bangladesh could be next

On the eve of Uzbekistan's 35th independence day, the Central Asian nation's Air Force received its first J-10CE fighter jet from China. This marks Uzbekistan as the second country, following Pakistan, to operate the multi-role aircraft developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC). At least six of these aircraft have been delivered to Uzbekistan so far, with the country reportedly planning to purchase up to 24 J-10s.

Pakistan currently operates around 20 J-10 aircraft, while China's People's Liberation Army Air Force commands a fleet of over 600. Bangladesh is also considering procuring the J-10CE, with the country already initiating the process for acquiring the single-engine Chinese fighter jet. This development comes at a time when China's defence exports have seen a decline, despite global arms procurement rising, largely due to Europe's response to the Ukraine war.

The J-10, known as the "Vigorous Dragon" in China, is an advanced fourth-generation fighter aircraft comparable to those offered by Western nations and Russia. Its newer variants come equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and avionics, including an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and an infrared search and track system. These features enable the aircraft to track targets through their thermal signatures.

Armed with air-to-air weapons like the beyond visual range PL-15 missile, the J-10 CE also possesses the extremely long-ranged PL-17 missile, capable of downing large and less maneuverable aircraft. The Chinese variant of the aircraft is also equipped with various air-to-surface weapons such as missiles and bombs. Although its single-engine design has limitations in terms of range, survivability concerns, and radar observability, the J-10 CE remains a formidable workhorse for air forces like Bangladesh's that are still operating aging fleets of Chengdu F-7s and MiG-29s.