China Warns Iran: China’s Advanced J-10C Fighters “Sitting Ducks” For Israel Air Force
China has consistently refused to provide its advanced fighters to "close ally" Iran. Why? Apparently at least partly because sales would suffer when Israel shoots them all down.
NOTE: I have commented at some length since the outset of the 12 Day War on the fact that, for all their talk of “close alliance” with Iran, Russia and China have consistently refused to provide the Islamic Republic with modern, much less advanced, fighter jets that could actually go head-to-head with Israel.
Indeed, before the war, Iran’s most advanced fighters were U.S. F-14s sold to the Shah in 1976-78. The average Iranian fighter was last state-of-the-art in 1965. No wonder Israel dispatched them without apparent effort.
Less understandable is Israel’s destruction of Iran’s Russian-made air defense systems, primarily the much-vaunted S-300 (it is now deploying the S-400 system that Ukraine routinely defeats). Would anyone buy the S-300 today? And for that matter, would anyone but Iran buy the S-400?
That’s not good for a country that mostly exports energy and armaments. There’s a reason even India is weaning itself from Russian weapons. They’re junk.
Now, a Chinese expert seems to have taken the lesson, advising Iran not to buy the “advanced” J-10C fighter. Why? Because “they’d be sitting ducks” for the Israeli Air Force.
Sumit Ahlawat has the details below. They matter. But the bottom line is clear. China doesn’t want its weapons exports, much less its own military, humiliated the way Russia’s has been. It’s bad for business. It’s bad for a lot more than that.
Now, if you were buying weapons, who would you buy them from? I think I’d buy from the people supplying Israel. — RDM
by Sumit Ahlawat
September 22, 2025
Amid speculations that Israel could plan a second round of air strikes on Iran, Chinese social media is buzzing with reports that Tehran is desperate to buy the Chinese J-10C fighter jets on an emergency basis.
However, rather than celebrating the prospect of having a second international customer for the 4.5-generation Chinese fighter jet, Chinese military experts are cautioning Tehran that the fighter jet sans supporting network would not be very effective against the formidable Israeli air force.
Notably, until now, Pakistan remains the only customer for the J-10CE, even though the fighter jet has been pitched to many countries, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, the fighter jet has been combat tested during the recent India-Pakistan war in May, and if Pakistani claims are accurate, then the combination of the Chinese J-10C fighter jets and long-range PL-15 missiles shot down multiple Indian Air Force (IAF) jets, including Rafale.
India has rejected the claims but admitted loss of one Rafale aircraft due to a technical snag. India also said it shot down 6 PAF aircraft in the air, while many others were damaged on the ground.
Following the India-Pakistan war, Beijing renewed its pitch for J-10C fighter jets for multiple countries, including Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Egypt, marketing it aggressively as ‘Rafale killer’.
Such was the fervour of the Chinese marketing blitz that French intelligence officials even complained that China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of Rafale jets.
However, despite this high-voltage marketing blitz, Indonesia doubled down on Rafales, signing a letter of intent for 12 additional Rafales in June 2025, following the initial order for 42 Rafale fighter jets signed in 2022.
Furthermore, despite the J-10C participating in a joint air exercise with the Egyptian air force, the ‘Eagles of Civilization 2025’ war drill, Cairo has failed to confirm a deal for the fighter jet.
Given this background, Beijing should have rejoiced at the prospect of finally finding a second customer for its “combat-tested” fighter jet.
However, the timid commentary by Chinese experts in the country’s social media is curious to say the least. The question then is, why are Chinese netizens not celebrating the potential sale of the J-10C to Tehran?