China Shows Off New Warplanes in Challenge to U.S.

China's first joint air force exercise with U.S. ally Egypt featured advanced fighter jets, radar aircraft, and aerial refueling planes, highlighting Beijing's push to project power far into the Middle East and North Africa in a challenge to the United States.

Why It Matters

China's deepening relationship with Egypt comes at a time that Egyptian ties with Washington have been strained by President Donald Trump's proposal for relocating Palestinians from the Gaza Strip — potentially to Egypt — in a plan that Cairo has strongly opposed.

The Middle East is a new location for Chinese rivalry with the United States as the two superpowers are also at odds elsewhere, not least over Taiwan and the South China Sea and with tensions rising there.

What To Know

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force deployed J-10C fighter jets, a YU-20 aerial refueling tanker and a KJ-500 radar aircraft, according to open-source flight-tracking data and security publications.

The PLA Air Force sent J-10C and J-10S fighters while Egypt fielded its MiG-29 jets for the exercise, China's state-run Global Times reported.

The KJ-500, an airborne early warning and control aircraft, participated in an international military exercise for the first time, according to the Belgium-based defense magazine Army Recognition.

This week, open-source flight data appeared to show multiple Chinese military aircraft arriving in Egypt via the United Arab Emirates, including at least five Y-20 transport planes and one KJ-500 radar aircraft, according to specialist outlet Aviation Week.

The joint exercise with the North African country comes as the United States increases its military presence in the Middle East and amid rising tensions with Iran. Egypt is also a potential market for Chinese weapons sales.

Egypt has received substantial military aid from the United States since signing a peace deal with Israel in 1979. Egypt was granted $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid in 2024, according to Reuters.

It is the second time the Chinese military has deployed to Egypt since last summer, when it sent seven J-10 fighter jets from an air force aerobatic team and a Y-20 transport aircraft to an air show.

U.S. defense officials are increasingly concerned that China's rapid military modernization could soon rival American capabilities, though analysts note some Chinese systems still lag behind their U.S. counterparts.

What People Are Saying

Egypt's Armed Forces Spokesperson on Facebook: "The exercise, taking place over several days at an airbase in the Arab Republic of Egypt, aims to unify combat concepts between the two sides through a series of theoretical and practical lectures."

China's Defense Ministry: "This is the first joint training between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, which is of great significance to promoting pragmatic cooperation and enhancing mutual trust and friendship between the two militaries."

Naval analyst Eric Wertheim told U.S. Navy Institute: "I think the big issue with all Chinese weapons – including copies of Western equipment – is that they remain untested in combat."

What Happens Next

The Chinese and Egyptian air forces' joint training in Egypt, codenamed "Eagles of Civilization 2025," is taking place from mid-April to early May.

Updated on 04/22/2025 at 2:55 a.m. ET with additional context