ISLAMABAD: China has confirmed that its J-10CE fighter jet achieved first combat success during a brief India-Pakistan military conflict in May 2025, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.
The intense, four-day standoff saw Pakistan and India attack each other with missiles, fighter jets, drones and artillery, killing nearly 70 people on both sides.
Islamabad claimed victory in the standoff, saying it had shot down six Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets. India acknowledged losses but did not specify a number.
Citing China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, Xinhua reported that Chinese J-10CE jets shot down “multiple aircraft” in mid-May, without naming any country.
“In mid-May, the country’s export-oriented J-10CE fighter jet achieved its first combat victory, shooting down multiple aircraft in air combat without suffering any losses itself,” the state news agency said.
“The J-10CE’s combat success abroad fully demonstrates that domestically produced aviation equipment is practical and easy to use, possessing strong competitiveness compared to similar foreign equipment, and can also drive other domestically produced aviation equipment to enter the international market.”
The J-10CE fighter jet is an all-weather, single-engine, single-seat, multi-role fighter jet developed by China. The India-Pakistan conflict in May offered the world a first real glimpse into how advanced Chinese military technology performs against proven Western hardware.
A rising military superpower, China hasn’t fought a major war in more than four decades but has raced under President Xi Jinping to modernize its armed forces, pouring resources into developing sophisticated weaponry and cutting-edge technologies. It has also extended that modernization drive to Pakistan, long hailed by Beijing as its “ironclad brother.”
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif this month said Islamabad has witnessed a surge in aircraft orders after the May standoff with India and, if materialized, they could end the country’s reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“Right now, the number of orders we are receiving after reaching this point is significant because our aircraft have been tested,” Defense Minister Asif told Pakistan’s Geo News channel.
“We are receiving those orders, and it is possible that after six months we may not even need the IMF.”
Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17, also flown during the May conflict, as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.
The JF-17s have figured in a deal with Azerbaijan and the $4 billion weapons pact with the Libyan National Army. Pakistan is also eyeing a defense pact with Bangladesh that could include the Super Mushshak training jets and JF-17s, as ties improve with Dhaka.
