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China's J-16 fighter crosses swords with Egypt's Rafale jet in first flight day of joint drill_我的网站

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    A Chinese J-16 fighter Photo: VCGChinese state media on Monday released footage from the first day of flight training held Saturday during the China-Egypt Eagles of Civilization 2026 joint training exercise, showing PLA J-16s engaging in air combat drills against Egyptian MiG-29 and Rafale fighters. A Chinese expert said this is the first joint exercise featuring both the J-16 and the Rafale, reflecting strong mutual trust and a high level of coordination between the two air forces.
The first day's training focused on one-on-one air combat between different aircraft types. As fighters from both air forces took off in succession, pilots engaged in intense confrontations under realistic combat scenarios, the CCTV News military channel reported.
Before the flight training, Chinese and Egyptian pilots delivered briefings on their respective aircraft capabilities. The two sides then held in-depth discussions on the exercise subjects, clarifying flight safety rules, airspace regulations, takeoff and landing procedures and emergency response plans, said the report.
"The China-Egypt joint air training is progressing from basic one-on-one and two-on-two air combat to more systematic joint operations. As mutual understanding between pilots grows, they can more effectively exchange tactical concepts and operational techniques, which helps enhance the technical and tactical proficiency of both sides," Shen Hao, a member of a PLA Air Force unit, was quoted as saying by the PLA Air Force in a press release on Monday.
Egypt's Ministry of Defense spokesperson posted on social media platform X on Saturday that the joint training between China and Egypt had commenced, releasing images of the participating aircraft - Egypt's MiG-29 and Rafale fighters, and China's J-16 fighter.
    An Egyptian MiG-29 fighter (above) and a Rafale fighter Photo: X account of Egypt's Ministry of Defense spokesperson CCTV footage on Monday also showed the three aircraft types in action.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of the Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Monday that this joint exercise marks the first time China has deployed the J-16 and the first time Egypt's Rafale fighters have participated, a development worth noting. It reflects a relatively high level of mutual trust between the two militaries and a substantial standard of joint training.
Apart from the French military, India and Egypt are some of its main users. This presents a rare opportunity for China to gain familiarity with the Rafale in a joint training setting. As a flagship product of Dassault Aviation, the Rafale represents a major design philosophy of advanced European aerospace equipment, Wang said.
Although the J-16, deployed by China for this long-range training mission in Egypt, evolved from the original Soviet-era platform, it has been completely transformed and now plays a key role within China's aviation system. Capable of carrying a variety of munitions, it can perform electronic warfare, ground strikes and long-range air-to-air combat, making it a highly versatile platform, Wang explained.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times previously that the J-16 heavy fighter jets' first participation in the China-Egypt joint air force training exercise marks an upgrade from 2025's deployment of medium-sized J-10Cs in the drill, reflecting broader and more advanced overseas training by the PLA Air Force.
The two aircraft belong to the same generation, but the Rafale's overall combat capabilities may not be as comprehensive as those of the J-16, which has been continuously upgraded as part of China's aviation system development, Wang said.
Wang noted that the main objectives are to enhance mutual trust and familiarity with each other's equipment, understanding flight performance, medium- and close-range maneuverability and basic weapon configurations.
Moreover, as the Rafale is also deployed in countries neighboring China, understanding its performance characteristics through joint training holds practical significance for the country, Wang added.
"The Egyptian pilots' rigorous training discipline, close coordination and solid technical skills left a deep impression on us. Through mutual learning and close exchanges during the exercise, we not only strengthened our bonds but also improved our technical and tactical capabilities together. Joint training with foreign forces has provided a valuable platform for our pilots to sharpen their skills," Ning Yiming, a member of a PLA Air Force unit, was quoted by the PLA Air Force as saying.
The opening ceremony of the joint training was held on Friday. Commanders from both sides delivered speeches, reviewing the history of air force exchanges between the two countries and the achievements of the first joint exercise in 2025. They outlined the objectives of this year's training and expressed hopes that participating personnel would seize the opportunity to learn from each other, build mutual trust and carry forward their traditional friendship, PLA Air Force said.
。         Illustration: Xia Qing/GTRecent media attention has focused on Taiwan region's purchase of 66 F-16V (Blk 70) fighter jets from the US, the first two of which are now en route to the island. A mainland expert said the induction of these jets cannot change the cross-Straits air power balance. Their performance is comparable to the PLA's J-10C, but against the likes of J-16, J-20 and J-35, their tactical value is limited. The real gap, however, is not in individual aircraft, but in the PLA's already mature air combat system.
Taiwan region is beginning to receive the first operational aircraft from its 66-jet F-16V Block 70 order, reported Defence Security Asia on Saturday. The first two single-seat fighters, serials 6727 and 6728, departed the US on August 17, 2026, transited through Fort Worth and Hawaii, and were expected to continue through Guam before reaching Chihhang Air Base, weather permitting.
In addition to purchasing brand-new fighters, Taiwan region had previously cooperated with the US to upgrade 140 F-16A/B aircraft to the F-16V (Blk 20) standard. That upgrade work was fully completed in December 2023, according to CNA on August 19.
Taiwan region previously claimed that the F-16V (Blk 70), in addition to featuring increased thrust, airframe optimizations, extended range, and conformal fuel tanks, also enhances beyond-visual-range combat capability and partial stealth characteristics. It is equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, providing multiple functions including air-to-air search, tracking, weapons guidance, electronic warfare, and communications, according to the HK01.
The F-16V (Blk 70) is the newest variant of the F-16 family, Song Zhongping, a mainland military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday. The PLA's mainstay fighters have already been widely equipped with AESA radars and are at the same technological generation as the F-16V (Blk 70). In comparison with the J-10C, both fall into the light-to-medium fighter category and have a degree of comparability.
However, comparing to a heavy fighter such as the J-16, and especially when facing fifth-generation aircraft like the J-20 and J-35 that possess a clear generational advantage, the F-16V has no edge at all. Constrained by its original medium-weight, single-engine design, the F-16V faces inherent gaps versus heavy fighters in range, payload, and upgrade potential, Song explained.
The expert pointed out that what decides victory or defeat is no longer the performance of individual aircraft, but the entire combat system behind them. 
Modern warfare is no longer a matter of "soldier versus soldier, general versus general." The PLA's advantage lies in its comprehensively overwhelming system-of-systems combat capability. It is not necessary to shoot down an F-16V in the air, it can also be destroyed on the ground, by striking its shelters or cratering runways so that it cannot take off or land, Song said.  
The F-16V does improve Taiwan region's individual aircraft capabilities, but once integrated into a system-of-systems combat environment, its ability to alter the overall situation is extremely limited, said Song.
A Xinhua News Agency report in March 2026 described how a certain PLA Air Force unit organized its three mainstay fighters, the J-20, J-16 and J-10C, to conduct multi-day-and-night air combat confrontation training covering situation sharing, coordinated strikes, electromagnetic countermeasures, and other subjects.
The Taiwan regional authorities' attempt to rely on these F-16Vs to "resist reunification by force" is no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot, Song said. 
From August 5 to 14, the Taiwan regional authorities conducted this year's "Han Kuang" military exercises. A CCTV News report on August 14 noted that the Taiwan region's Han Kuang exercises have become an annual farce. The entire exercise was plagued by continuous controversies.
The so-called "Han Kuang" exercises have always been a hollow, wasteful spectacle. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities are hereby warned: the "Taiwan independence" dead end leads nowhere and cannot be altered. The PLA remains on high alert around the clock, continuously enhancing its combat readiness against separatist and external interference activities. It is, and will always be, the solid foundation for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Senior Colonel Chen Xi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said on August 14.
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