China is offering a glimpse of some of its latest drones and fighter jets at the Middle East’s biggest air show this week, seizing an opportunity to promote the country’s aviation products in the region.
Among those displaying their advanced aircraft at the Dubai Air Show is China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (Catic), a major state-owned Chinese defence company.
Its offerings include a full-scale model of the Wing Loong-X unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an export variant of the medium-altitude, long-endurance drone designed for multi-role functionality, including maritime escort and anti-submarine warfare.
According to a Catic official at the event, the Wing Loong-X has been in demand among Middle East “customers” whose proximity to recent armed conflict has highlighted the importance of drones.
“Basically, the drone can launch air-to-ground missiles and air-to-air missiles. It also has anti-ship capabilities,” said the official, who asked not to be named.
It is the first known instance of a full-scale model of the Wing Loong-X being showcased at a defence exhibition outside China.
A scaled-down version of the drone was featured at the 2023 Dubai Air Show and this year’s Paris Air Show. The Chinese aircraft was officially unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show in November last year.
In addition, Catic’s booth in Dubai this year featured scaled-down models of two Chinese fighter jets: the J-10CE and the J-35A.
The J-10CE 4.5-generation fighter jet has increasingly attracted attention from international buyers, especially in the Global South.
First developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation in the 1980s as China’s third-generation fighter jet, the J-10 series has in recent years been upgraded to the 4.5-generation J-10C, and its export variant is named the J-10CE.
The jet is equipped with an advanced engine and active electronically scanned array radars as well as PL-15 active radar-guided long-range air-to-air missiles.
Pakistan is the only known operator of the J-10C outside China.
In 2020, Islamabad ordered 36 units of the export version of the J-10C, along with 250 PL-15E air-to-air missiles for use by the models. About 20 of the jets are in service with the Pakistan Air Force.
In May, the J-10C was reportedly used by Pakistan to shoot down Indian fighter jets, including at least one French-made 4.5-generation Rafale, during a border confrontation between the South Asian countries near the disputed Kashmir region.
The encounter marked the Chinese fighter jet’s first known air-to-air kill recorded in live combat, as well as the first loss of a Rafale jet in combat.
The J-10C’s performance in the border conflict sparked international attention and was widely seen as an illustration of Chinese weapons’ viability against Western systems.
Egypt appeared to show interest in the aircraft, with an Egyptian pilot seen in a twin-seat variant of the J-10 in a joint drill with China at an Egyptian base earlier this year.
Indonesia has reportedly been considering buying the J-10C, with plans to acquire about 42 units of the fighter aircraft in a deal worth about US$9 billion.
Alongside the J-10CE model in Catic’s Dubai Air Show booth, a miniature model of the J-35A fifth-generation fighter jet made an appearance.
Produced by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and unveiled at last year’s Zhuhai Air Show after more than a decade in development, the J-35 is China’s second fifth-generation fighter jet after the J-20.
The J-35’s entry into service this year made the People’s Liberation Army the second military in the world, after the US, to operate two types of stealth fighters.
The J-35A is the land-based variant of the J-35, which was initially developed as a fighter for Chinese aircraft carriers using electromagnetic catapults, such as the Fujian, which entered service earlier this month.
Unlike the J-20, which is banned from overseas sales, China has actively pushed for the export of its J-35 stealth fighter.
Its display at the Dubai Air Show followed its appearances at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi in February and the Paris Air Show in June. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
