Chinese J10C and KJ-500 Early Warning Aircraft in Egypt

A Quick Look at the Exercise

In late April 2025, Chinese and Egyptian fighter jets began a large joint exercise called Eagles of Civilisation 2025 at Wadi Abu Rish Air Base, about 100 km west of the Gulf of Suez. China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) flew more than 6,000 km to get there, bringing:

J‑10C multirole fighters
KJ‑500 airborne‑early‑warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft
YY‑20 aerial‑refueling tankers

Egypt, for its part, put up its newest non‑Western fighters—the MiG‑29M/M2—to fly alongside the Chinese jets.

On paper this is “just” a military drill, but it also tells us a lot about where Egypt’s foreign‑policy compass is pointing, how China is expanding its reach, and where the United States and Europe fit in. Let’s unpack the main points in straightforward language.

1. Why Egypt Invited China—in Spite of Old Friends in Washington and Paris

Egypt’s fast‑jet fleet is dominated by Western aircraft:

180+ F‑16s from the U.S.
54 Rafales from France (more are on order)

But those jets come with strings attached. Washington and European capitals limit the missiles and software Egypt can have, worried those tools could be used in ways they don’t like. For example, Egyptian Rafales cannot fire the long‑range Meteor missile, and its F‑16s are stuck with 1980s‑era AIM‑9 and AIM‑7 missiles.

Cairo is tired of feeling short‑changed. China, on the other hand, sells the J‑10C with its best gear included:

Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that sees targets farther and tracks more of them at once.
PL‑15 long‑range and PL‑10 short‑range air‑to‑air missiles—both considered world‑class.
Modern electronic‑warfare suite that jams enemy radars.

Add in simpler maintenance and lower cost per flight hour, and the J‑10C suddenly looks like an attractive “Plan B.” Unconfirmed reports say Egypt placed its first J‑10C order in 2024.

2. China’s First Overseas Trip for the KJ‑500 and YY‑20

The exercise marks the first time China’s KJ‑500 AEW&C has deployed abroad. That matters because AEW&C aircraft act as flying command posts, spotting enemy planes or missiles hundreds of kilometers away and guiding friendly fighters into position. Egypt has AEW&C planes, too—old U.S. E‑2C Hawkeyes acquired in the 1980s—but they are aging fast and cannot talk seamlessly to non‑American jets.

By letting Egyptian crews see the KJ‑500 in action, Beijing is planting the seed for a future sale. The same goes for the YY‑20 tanker: Egypt has zero tankers of its own. If it buys even a few, suddenly all its fighters—American, Russian, or Chinese—could reach farther without needing bases closer to the fight.

3. A 6,000‑km Journey Shows Off China’s Long‑Range Lift

Moving dozens of people, tons of equipment, and three different aircraft types across Asia to North Africa is no small feat. The PLAAF used a “mixed force” method:

Fighters and KJ‑500 flew most of the way with multiple aerial refuels from the YY‑20.
Heavy transports flew spare parts and ground crews separately.

Logistically, that proves China’s air force can now support operations thousands of kilometers from its borders—something it could barely dream of 15 years ago.

4. Regional Politics: Gaza, Aid Cuts, and Great‑Power Jostling

The drills also come at a tense moment:

Gaza crisis: Egypt rejects Western pressure to absorb large numbers of Palestinian refugees.
U.S. aid questions: Washington is mulling cuts to its annual $1.5 billion military grant to Egypt over human‑rights concerns and Gaza differences.
China’s arms push: Beijing’s weapons sales to the Middle East jumped 80 percent in the last decade. Saudi Arabia buys Chinese drones; Iran is in talks for fighters; the UAE and Algeria shop Chinese air defenses.

In short, Egypt is hedging. If U.S. aid dries up or becomes too conditional, Cairo wants another big‑power supplier in its corner. China is eager to fill that gap—not only for money but also for influence near the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

5. What the Exercise Teaches Each Side

For Egypt:

See how a modern AESA‑equipped fighter (J‑10C) and 360‑degree radar plane (KJ‑500) work together.
Measure the gap between its current missiles and China’s PL‑15/PL‑10 combo.
Evaluate whether buying Chinese gear is worth the political cost of upsetting Western suppliers.

For China:

Familiarize pilots with desert conditions and long over‑water flights.
Practice coordinating tankers, early‑warning planes, and fighters far from home.
Collect data on Egypt’s MiG‑29M—a jet type flown by potential regional buyers and by India, which is an Asian rival.

6. Could Egypt Really Add Chinese Jets?

Mixing aircraft from multiple origins is nothing new to Cairo. Over the past 50 years its air force has flown, at various times, Soviet MiG‑21s, French Mirages, American Phantoms, and F‑16s, plus the current Rafales and MiG‑29Ms. Pilots and technicians are used to juggling different maintenance manuals.

The sticking points are:

Money: Even with discounts, a J‑10C costs about $60–70 million each once spares and training are factored in.
Training pipeline: New simulators, ground‑school curricula, and logistics chains take years to mature.
Political fallout: Buying in bulk from China could trigger U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which penalizes large purchases from Russia or China. Washington waived CAATSA for India’s S‑400 buy, but there is no guarantee Egypt would get the same treatment.

Cairo might therefore start small—perhaps a squadron of 12–24 J‑10Cs and a handful of YY‑20s—while gauging Washington’s reaction.

7. The Bigger Picture: China’s Air‑Power Rise

China is now the only nation besides the U.S. with two mature fifth‑generation fighter programs (the J‑20 and carrier‑borne J‑35). It is also a front‑runner in sixth‑generation research, according to open‑source hints about manned‑unmanned teaming and drone “loyal wingmen.”

Meanwhile, its fleet of support aircraft—tankers, AEW&C, strategic transports—is expanding faster than any other air force’s. That growth underpins Beijing’s goal of becoming a “world‑class” military by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic.

Exercises like Eagles of Civilisation give China real‑world practice while advertising its hardware to prospective buyers.

8. What Happens Next?

Short term: Expect Egypt and China to announce follow‑on drills or memorandums of understanding on defense cooperation. Egyptian officers will brief their leadership on KJ‑500 and YY‑20 performance.
Medium term: Watch for satellite photos hinting at Chinese AEW&C or tanker deliveries to Egypt, or official statements about a J‑10C deal.
Long term: If Egypt shifts a chunk of its future fighter purchases from the U.S. or France to China, other African and Middle‑Eastern states may follow, accelerating the region’s drift toward a multipolar arms market.

Key Takeaways in One Minute

Eagles of Civilisation 2025 is more than an exercise; it is China’s sales pitch and strategic play for influence in Egypt.
Egypt invited China partly because Western‑supplied fighters come “downgraded”; Beijing offers full‑strength J‑10Cs plus support aircraft.
The drill marks the first overseas deployment for China’s KJ‑500 AEW&C and YY‑20 tanker, showing new global reach.
Cairo gains leverage over Washington and Paris by flirting with Chinese arms, while Beijing gains a foothold near the Suez Canal.
The big question: will Egypt actually buy Chinese jets or simply use the prospect to bargain for better U.S. or French upgrades?

Either way, the exercise underlines a shifting security landscape where middle‑power states like Egypt have more choices—and great powers like China are eager to offer them.