Uzbekistan confirms delivery of Chinese J-10 fighter jets

Uzbekistan’s state television broadcast footage of a Chengdu J-10CE fighter jet on the ground during coverage of the country’s 35th independence anniversary celebrations, confirming for the first time that Uzbekistan has received the Chinese-made aircraft.

The footage aired on Uzbekistan 24, a state channel, and showed the jet taxiing on a runway. The first batch is reportedly six aircraft, based at Karshi-Khanabad airbase in southern Uzbekistan, though that basing detail has not been officially confirmed by Uzbek authorities.

The broadcast marks the first acknowledgment from Uzbekistan’s government that it has taken delivery of the J-10CE, following more than a year of unconfirmed reporting on the purchase. Uzbekistan is now the second foreign operator of the J-10CE, after Pakistan.

Researcher Andreas Rupprecht, who tracks Chinese military aviation, published a photograph in August that he described as likely the first clear image of a J-10CE belonging to the Uzbekistan Air Force.

“Likely the first clear(er) image of an Uzbekistan Air Force J-10CE,” Rupprecht wrote.

Uzbekistan had reportedly agreed to purchase 24 J-10CE fighters from China for around $1 billion, a deal that circulated in defense reporting since at least last year but was never officially confirmed by Tashkent before this week’s broadcast. Uzbekistan’s air force has relied on Soviet-era aircraft, including the MiG-29, making the J-10CE purchase a significant shift toward Chinese-made hardware.

The J-10CE is the export version of China’s single-engine, single-seat J-10C, built by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. The aircraft is a fourth-generation-plus multirole fighter equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar and capable of firing the PL-15E, a long-range, active radar-guided air-to-air missile with a publicly stated export range of around 145 kilometers (90 miles). The jet also carries the shorter-range PL-10 infrared-guided missile for close-in engagements and uses a fly-by-wire flight control system with canard-delta aerodynamics for high maneuverability.

The J-10C gained international attention following a brief conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025, when Pakistan’s air force flew J-10Cs armed with PL-15 missiles in aerial engagements with Indian fighters. Pakistani officials claimed the J-10C was responsible for shooting down multiple Indian aircraft during that clash, including at least one Dassault Rafale, though India has not confirmed the extent of its own losses. The engagement was widely described as one of the first instances of Chinese-made fighters downing Western-made aircraft in real combat, and it significantly raised international interest in the J-10 family, including its export variant now delivered to Uzbekistan.

The Defence Blog first reported on the probable Uzbekistan contract in April 2025. Following that report, the Defense Industry Agency under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense asked The Defence Blog to remove the article and delay further coverage.

“I would like to inform you that the given information does not reflect reality. Currently, negotiations are underway with several countries on this matter, and publishing such information may influence our discussions with other nations. We would be deeply grateful if you could postpone the article for some time. Once a final decision is made, we will notify you at your address,” a senior employee of the agency wrote at the time.

The agency did not issue any further statement confirming or denying the deal until this week’s state television broadcast. Uzbekistan’s government has still not published official details on the total number of aircraft delivered, the full delivery timeline, or the contract’s final value.

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