(TibetanReview.net, May08’26) – China has confirmed that its J-10CE fighter jets operated by Pakistan shot down at least one French-made Rafale fighter operated by India with the help of its on-site technical support in May last year, according to the scmp.com May 8.
The occasion was India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025 with missile strikes on Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Apr 22, 2025. The terrorists had gunned down 26 civilians after asking for their religious identity. India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and the operation targeted terrorism-related infrastructure.
On Thursday (Ma 7), the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV broadcast an interview with a Chinese engineer Zhang Heng, from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, who provided technical support to Pakistan during the war, the report said.
It was stated to be both the first time the Chinese model was reported to have downed an enemy aircraft, and the first time a Rafale had been shot down.
Describing his presence in the conflict zone, Zhang has said, “At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens. By late morning, in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit]. It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically.”
Zhang has told CCTV that what drove his team was the “desire to do an even better job with on site support,” and to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”.
“That wasn’t just a recognition of the J 10CE; it was also a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out.”
Xu Da, another employee of the Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute who provided on-site support to Pakistan during the war, has said of the J 10CE fighter jet: “We nurtured it, cared for it, and finally handed it over to the user. And now, it was facing a major test.
“As for the outstanding results the J-10CE achieved, we weren’t very surprised, and it didn’t feel sudden at all. In fact, it felt inevitable. The aircraft just needed the right opportunity. And when that moment came, it delivered exactly as we knew it would.”
The report said the engineers’ comments were the first confirmation that Chinese personnel had played a role in last year’s clash over Kashmir.
It noted that the J-10CE is the export variant of the J-10C 4.5-generation fighter and considered the most advanced model in the J-10 series.
Rafale is also a 4.5-generation fighter designed for air supremacy, precision strikes, and nuclear deterrence.
A ceasefire was achieved around midday on May 10.
On the operation’s first anniversary on May 7, India’s Air Marshal Bharti said, “We struck and decimated their 9 terrorist camps on May 7. The proof is there for everybody to see. We struck 11 of their airfields. We destroyed 13 of their aircraft either on the ground or in the air, including one high-value airborne asset at a record distance of 300 km plus.”
He further emphasised that Pakistan had failed to inflict any significant damage on Indian military or civilian infrastructure, reported the timedofindia.com May 7.
Meanwhile, according to a scmp.com report May 5, China’s state broadcaster gave a glimpse of the first export variant of the J-35A – the country’s second land-based fifth-generation fighter jet – with Pakistan the most likely recipient.
The report said Pakistan had reportedly signed a deal with China to acquire about 40 of the J-35 stealth fighters following Beijing’s offer to Islamabad for possible sales as part of a broader defence package that also includes KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft and HQ-19 missile defence systems.
Chinese weapons have played a big part in Pakistan’s military build-up. According to the global arms transfer database by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), up to 80% of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2021 and 2025 originated in China, the report added.