Following confirmation on 23 August that Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force Shenyang J-16 fighters, the design which is based on the Russian Su-30MKK jets, had engaged in medium- and close-range air combat training with Egyptian Rafale fighters during the Eagles of Civilisation 2026 exercises, reports emerged the next day that France’s Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff had arrived in Cairo.

General Fabien Mandon, France’s most senior military commander, led a high-level military delegation and met with Egypt’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence and Military Production Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zahir, as well as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Ahmed Fathi Khalifa.

Local sources indicated that France and NATO members have shown keen interest in learning about the J-16 fighter, and may seek to do so through defence ties with Egypt.

The meetings held by General Mandon were not widely disclosed, but he emphasised the importance of the strategic partnership between Egypt and France, highlighting the close convergence of their interests.

The dissimilar air combat training between Rafales and J-16s, in which Chinese fighters reportedly demonstrated overwhelming advantages, marked the first occasion a Western-aligned country was able to observe one of China’s premier fighter types in action.

The intelligence value of the J-16 for France and NATO is immense, as the aircraft, alongside the newer J-20, forms the backbone of the Chinese fleet with over 450 in service.

Egypt has historically provided Western Bloc states with opportunities to study non-Western equipment. In the 1970s, Egypt delivered Soviet MiG-23 and MiG-21MF fighters, as well as 2K12 air defence systems, to the United States.

These were the most advanced Soviet systems exported at the time. Egypt’s geopolitical position remains vulnerable, with the country lacking a viable aerial warfare capability for peer-level conflict.

Its reliance on downgraded variants of Western fighter types such as the F-16, Mirage-2000 and Rafale is compounded by export restrictions that deny access to their primary air-to-air weapons.

Egypt’s fragile economy, plagued by high inflation, has left it heavily dependent on Western loans and susceptible to external pressure over strategic issues.

In May 2026, Egypt deployed Rafale fighters to the frontlines of the U.S.-Iranian war to support the air defence of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is a key partner in U.S.-led strikes on Iran and serves as a staging ground for U.S. and French operations.

Cairo’s longstanding alignment with Western geopolitical interests makes China’s deployment of J-16s for exercises in Egypt a serious risk, as it exposes Western allies to the possibility of Chinese influence in a strategically sensitive region.

Agencies