Bangladesh Cites Chinese J-10C Fighter’s Combat Victories Over French Rafales as Reason for Purchase

Bangladesh Cites Chinese J-10C Fighter’s Combat Victories Over French Rafales as Reason for Purchase:

Bangladesh has cited the combat performance of the Chinese J-10C fighter against Indian Air Force Rafale jets in May 2025 aircraft as a key reason behind its decision to move forward with a major purchase. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman specifically pointed to the J-10’s reported performance during the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict as a factor behind the decision. “There is a recent real experience in combat situations. When the war was going on in India-Pakistan, India's Rafale was shot down by the Chinese J-10. This information is now established information,” he said.

The May 2025 conflict represented the first major combat test for post-Cold War Chinese fighter aircraft, and met longstanding expectations that they would provide distinct dominance over India’s European and Russian origin combat jets. While the Rafale is in many respects the most capable fighter type ever produced in Europe, the J-10C is the least costly and lowest end fighter being produced for China’s air force, highlighting the vast discrepancy that has emerged between their fighter aviation sectors favouring the East Asian state. While European states have struggled to develop a fighter with fifth generation level capabilities, China is currently leading the world by close to a decade in sixth generation fighter development. 

The J-10C’s victories over Indian Air Force Rafales were far from isolated, with multiple sources having confirmed that the aircraft operated by the Pakistan Air Force won overwhelming victories in simulated air-to-air engagements against Qatar Emiri Air Force Eurofighters. The J-10C achieved a 9-0 score during engagements, despite Qatar operating the most capable variant of the Eurofighter in the world at the time. The J-10C is also reported to have repeatedly prevailed overwhelmingly against Russian Su-35 air superiority fighters during simulated engagements. 

Rahman on August 25 confirmed that a draft agreement covering the procurement of J-10C fighters and other Chinese military equipment had been prepared and submitted to the Armed Forces Division and relevant ministries for approval. A significant factor in selecting the J-10C may also be the level of support China has proven willing to provide. Chinese government sources in May reported that personnel had been deployed to Pakistan to support combat operations against India in early May, 2025, specifically in the form of on-site technical support for Pakistan Air Force J-10C fighters. 

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Résumé en français :

 

Le Bangladesh a décidé d'acheter des chasseurs J-10C chinois en raison de leurs performances lors de combats récents. En mai 2025, pendant un conflit entre l'Inde et le Pakistan, des J-10C ont réussi à abattre des Rafales indiens, ce qui a impressionné les responsables bangladais.

Le conseiller en communication du Premier ministre, Zahed Ur Rahman, a souligné que ces victoires en combat réel ont influencé leur choix. Bien que le Rafale soit considéré comme un des meilleurs chasseurs européens, le J-10C est moins cher et a montré une supériorité dans des simulations de combat contre d'autres avions, y compris les Eurofighters du Qatar et les Su-35 russes.

Le Bangladesh a donc préparé un accord pour acheter des J-10C et d'autres équipements militaires chinois, en partie en raison du soutien technique que la Chine a offert au Pakistan pendant le conflit.