Chinese engineers have said they worked at an airbase alongside the Pakistan Air Force, helping guide the China-made J-10CE jets that “shot down an Indian Air Force Rafale” fighter during the four-day war last May.
Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, told China’s state broadcaster that the onsite team wanted to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”.
The Chinese were clearly triumphant that their aircraft had performed to expectations and been able to bring down a highly rated French-made fighter like the Rafale, one of the world’s most advanced combat aircraft.
It would be the first recorded combat loss of a Rafale aircraft, if true. India has admitted losses but never confirmed damages.
The Chinese involvement, confirmed publicly by Chinese state media for the first time, underlined just how closely Beijing supported Pakistan during the intense conflict and Islamabad’s growing military dependence on China.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, roughly 80 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2021 and 2025 came from China. Alongside the J-10CE, the Pakistan Air Force also relies heavily on the JF-17 fighter, jointly developed by Beijing and Islamabad.
Pakistan has 36 J-10CE fighters, the export version of China’s J-10C, equipped with advanced AESA radar systems and capable of firing long-range PL-15 air-to-air missiles. Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian Air Force planes, though India has not accepted or confirmed those figures.
Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, part of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, said the Chinese team had been stationed at a support base in Pakistan throughout the fighting to provide technical assistance and ensure the aircraft operated at maximum effectiveness.
“At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air raid sirens,” Zhang told the broadcaster, adding: “By late morning in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius. It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically.”
Zhang said the Chinese team was driven by a desire “to do an even better job with on-site support” and to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential.”
He added that the experience was “not just a recognition of the J-10CE” but also “a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out” with Pakistani personnel.
Another engineer involved in the deployment, Xu Da, compared the fighter jets to “children” that Chinese engineers had spent years developing before handing them over to Pakistan.
“We nurtured it, cared for it, and finally handed it over to the user,” Xu said. “And now, it was facing a major test.”
Xu said the combat success of the J-10CE had not come as a surprise to the Chinese team.
“In fact, it felt inevitable,” he said. “The aircraft just needed the right opportunity. And when that moment came, it delivered exactly as we knew it would.”
For China, the war also offered a battlefield showcase for its military technology at a time when Beijing is seeking to challenge Western dominance in the global arms market.