Chinese J-16s Engage in Combat Against Egyptian Rafales in Second Joint Drill
China has deployed its J-16 fighters against Egypt’s Rafale combat aircraft for the first time during joint air force drills held in the North African country, spanning mid-August to early September.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force deployed J-16 fighter jets, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, YU-20 aerial tankers, and Z-20 helicopters during the second iteration of the China-Egypt “Eagles of Civilization” that first began in April 2025.
Marking the J-16s’ first time flying out of Asia, the aircraft reportedly traveled more than 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles) over nine hours, conducted aerial refueling from YU-20 tankers, and landed at an Egyptian airbase on August 21 before carrying out joint combat training missions.
The J-16s conducted one-on-one and two-on-two close- and medium-range air combat drills against the Egyptian Air Force’s Rafales, which is considered their first engagement against Western-built combat aircraft, according to South China Morning Post.
During last year’s drill, China sent its J-10C fighters — along with the KJ-500 aircraft and a Y-20 tanker — to train alongside Egypt’s MiG-29 combat aircraft.
Heavyweight Fighter
China domestically developed the Shenyang J-16 heavyweight fourth-generation aircraft, derived from the Russian Su-30MKK, which the air force also operates.
Known as the Qianlong (Hidden Dragon) in Chinese, the twin-engine multirole strike fighter measures about 72 feet (22 meters) long with a wingspan of around 48 feet (15 meters).
The approximately 77,000-pound (35,000-kilogram) jet can fly at a top speed of 1,320 miles (2,120 kilometers) per hour with a range of about 1,000 nautical miles (1,150 miles/1,852 kilometers) and has a service ceiling of 55,000 feet (17,000 meters), as per National Interest.
It incorporates an active electronically scanned array radar and a minimized radar cross-section.
The J-16 also comes in an electronic warfare variant, the J-16D, which reportedly entered Taiwan’s air defense zone in January 2022 for the first time.