China confirms first combat success of J-10CE fighter jet during 2025 India–Pakistan War.

China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense stated that the J-10CE export fighter achieved its first combat success in 2025, aligning with Pakistan Air Force's claims during the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.

On January 9, 2026, China’s defense industry regulator confirmed that the J-10CE fighter jet recorded combat results in 2025, marking Beijing’s first official confirmation of combat outcomes involving an exported Chinese jet. While it did not provide dates, locations, or aircraft identities, the statement is widely considered to refer to the clashes between Pakistan and India in May 2025, when Pakistani J-10CE fighters were tasked with air defense and interception missions against the Indian Air Force.
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The J-10CE can carry nearly 6,000 kilograms of payload across 11 hardpoints, including under-wing, under-fuselage, and intake stations, allowing mixed loads of air-to-air missiles, guided air-to-surface weapons, electronic warfare pods, and external fuel tanks. (Picture source: Chinese MoD)

China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) publicly acknowledged that the Chengdu J-10CE fighter jet achieved its first combat success in 2025, representing the first state-level acknowledgment by Beijing of combat outcomes attributed to a Chinese-exported fighter jet. While providing no exact date, location, or aircraft identities, the timing and context correspond to fighting between Pakistan and India in May 2025, during which Pakistan Air Force J-10CE fighters were employed in air defense and interception roles. This also reminds a Chinese J-10C photographed shortly after this war, displaying six kill marks attributed to Pakistan Air Force operations, representing three Indian Rafales, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29 fighter, as well as a Heron MALE drone.

The J-10 program originated as a Chinese effort to field an indigenous multirole combat aircraft capable of replacing older second-generation fighters and reducing reliance on foreign designs. The J-10 entered service in the mid-2000s as a single-engine, delta-canard fighter, followed by incremental upgrades that addressed sensors, avionics, and survivability. The J-10B introduced changes such as an improved intake design and enhanced electronic systems, while the J-10C represented a more substantial step with the integration of an active electronically scanned array radar, updated datalinks, and revised electronic warfare components. By the time the J-10C entered operational service in the mid-2010s, it was positioned as a 4.5-generation fighter jet intended for both air superiority and multirole tasks within a networked air combat environment.

The J-10CE was developed as a more export-oriented derivative of the J-10C, with configuration choices tailored to foreign customers while retaining the core architecture of the domestic model. Marketed internationally from 2019, the J-10CE was presented as a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather multirole fighter integrating an AESA radar, modern cockpit displays, and compatibility with contemporary Chinese air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions. The export variant has been shown with a staggered dual missile pylon arrangement that allows carriage of two short-range missiles, up to six beyond-visual-range missiles, and external fuel tanks to support extended-range interception and patrol missions, while keeping the aircraft within a lower cost bracket than many Western fighters.

In terms of performance, characteristics, and technical data, the J-10CE is a single-engine, single-seat multirole fighter with a delta-canard aerodynamic layout and full digital fly-by-wire flight controls. The aircraft is associated with a maximum speed of about Mach 1.8 at altitude, a service ceiling above 18,000 meters, and a combat radius generally assessed at more than 1,000 kilometers depending on fuel load and mission profile, with a ferry range exceeding 4,500 kilometers when external tanks are carried. Maximum external payload is in the 5,600 to 6,000 kilogram class distributed across 11 hardpoints, including under-wing, under-fuselage, and intake stations, allowing mixed loads of air-to-air missiles, guided air-to-surface weapons, electronic warfare pods, and external fuel tanks.

The J-10CE is powered by the WS-10B turbofan engine, with thrust figures commonly cited in the 135 to 145 kilonewton range with afterburner, supporting a thrust-to-weight ratio slightly above 1.0 in air-to-air configurations and contributing to high climb rates and strong vertical maneuver capability. Its active electronically scanned array radar is credited with simultaneous multi-target tracking and engagement, improved resistance to electronic countermeasures, and a reported detection-range advantage of roughly 50 kilometers over the F-16C Block 52 radar, particularly in beyond-visual-range scenarios. The avionics suite integrates radar warning receivers, missile-approach warning, datalinks for cooperative targeting, and a modern glass cockpit with multifunction displays and helmet-mounted sight compatibility, reflecting a design emphasis on sensor fusion, long-range missile employment, and networked air combat rather than sustained close-range dogfighting.

Pakistan became the first export customer for the J-10CE, receiving an initial batch of six aircraft in 2022 and integrating them into frontline service soon afterward. Operated by the Pakistan Air Force, the type was publicly displayed during a National Day parade and incorporated into air defense planning alongside existing platforms such as the F-16 and JF-17. Pakistani pilots have described the J-10CE as offering advantages in situational awareness and engagement range, particularly when paired with long-range missiles, while also noting constraints in external carriage capacity compared with some Western fighters. Discussions have referenced potential improvements such as composite pylons, as well as the need to manage energy carefully in sustained close-range engagements.

The combat involvement acknowledged by China is widely interpreted to be linked to fighting between Pakistan and India in May 2025, during a period of heightened military escalation along contested borders. During this episode, Pakistani J-10CEs were employed in air defense and interception roles, engaging Indian aircraft without either side’s fighters crossing national airspace. China’s statement did not name India directly, but the timing and context align with Pakistan’s earlier claims that several enemy aircraft were shot down and that no J-10CEs were lost. The acknowledgment confirms that Chinese authorities consider the aircraft to have been used in real combat conditions during that confrontation.

The missile most commonly associated with the engagement is the PL-15E, the export version of China’s PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The PL-15E is generally linked to engagement ranges on the order of 150 to 200 kilometers, depending on flight profile and targeting support, and uses an active radar seeker combined with mid-course guidance via datalink. Although the Chinese acknowledgment did not name the missile, Pakistani accounts have consistently pointed to PL-15-series weapons as central to the outcome. The emphasis on long-range missile employment highlights the role of detection range, sensor fusion, and coordinated targeting rather than close-range maneuver combat.

Claims regarding aircraft downed during the fighting remain contested. Pakistan has asserted that five Indian aircraft were destroyed during the May 2025 engagements, with some Pakistani statements specifying three Rafale fighters alongside one Su-30MKI and one MiG-29, while other versions of the claim also mention the possible loss of a Mirage 2000. Lower estimates, often cited outside Pakistan, generally refer to one confirmed Rafale loss and sometimes a second aircraft of unspecified type, bringing the total to two. India has not acknowledged the loss of any aircraft and has instead pointed to its own asserted actions, including alleged strikes against an airborne early warning aircraft and a S-400 air defense system, claims that were not substantiated publicly. China’s statement avoided naming aircraft types or reconciling these competing narratives, stating only that the J-10CE was successful.

China’s acknowledgment of the J-10CE’s combat results is likely to influence how the aircraft is viewed in export markets, where demonstrated operational use has historically weighed heavily in procurement decisions. By confirming combat employment and outcomes, Beijing has moved the J-10CE from advertised capability to acknowledged use, even while leaving details sparse. This may strengthen the aircraft’s position among air forces seeking alternatives to Western fighters, particularly where cost, delivery timelines, and political considerations are factors. At the same time, the lack of precise data, independent verification, and agreed loss figures means that debate over the engagement will continue, and the acknowledgment alone does not guarantee increased sales but does alter the baseline perception of the J-10CE in international competition.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.