Chinese J-10C vs. Russian MiG-29M: Which is the Best Choice For Egypt’s Air Force?

<p >Following the confirmed <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/egypt-hosts-chinese-j10c-flying-radar-joint-exercises" target="_blank">deployment</a> of J-10C fighters by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force to Egypt to participate in the ‘Eagles of Civilisation 2025’ joint air exercises, during which the aircraft operated closely alongside Egyptian Air Force <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/the-best-mig-29-ever-built-algeria-receives-new-mig-29m-fighters-reports" target="_blank">MiG-29M fighters</a>, comparisons between the two classes of combat jets have increasingly been made. The MiG-29M is currently Egypt’s only modern fighter class that does not suffer from <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/can-t-shoot-very-far-why-egypt-s-massive-but-downgraded-f-16-fleet-is-totally-obsolete-for-modern-warfare" target="_blank">heavily downgraded</a> air-to-air combat capabilities, with 46 of the aircraft having been ordered from Russia in 2015 making the African state the world’s largest operator of the class. Although followup orders for further MiG-29M fighters, or for its closely related but more advanced derivative the MiG-35, were <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/egypt-never-ordered-mig-35-fighters-from-russia-but-it-might-buy-some-very-soon" target="_blank">previously speculated</a>, comparisons of the fighters with the J-10C provide important indications as to why the Chinese produced fighters may well have gained more interest from the Egypt Air Force over competing Russian jets. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/30/article_681187fd38a6e3_26688354.jpeg" title="Chinese PLA Air Force J-10C Firing Rocket Pods"></p><p >Both the J-10 and the MiG-29 were developed as lighter counterparts to Su-27 heavyweight fighter, which formed the elite of the Soviet Air Force from 1984 and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/final-gift-from-the-soviets-how-china-received-three-of-the-ussr-s-top-fighters-weeks-before-the-superpower-collapsed" target="_blank">from 1992</a>. During the 1990s China procured the Su-27 in much larger numbers than the Russian Air Force itself could, and produced the fighters under license before improving on the design significantly to develop the J-11, J-11B and eventually the much more advanced J-16 ‘4+ generation’ fighter. The J-10 entered service in 2004 with similarly advanced technologies to the J-11B, before the enhanced J-10C variant was brought into service in 2018 as a ‘4+ generation’ fighter with comparable sophistication to the J-16. China invested heavily in the J-10 program to field a high-low combination of heavy and lightweight fighters, with the J-10 using the same WS-10 engine as the J-11 and J-16 albeit in single rather than twin configuration. Over 600 J-10s currently service in the country’s air force, with production of the J-10C continuing on a significant scale. By contrast, after the disintegration of the USSR the cash strapped Russian Air Force largely abandoned its high-low combination of fighters, and invested primarily in developing enhanced variants of the Su-27 such as the Su-34 and Su-35 while making negligible investments in procuring the MiG-29. As a result, compared to the approximately 300 J-10Cs in Chinese service, Russia fields no MIG-29M fighters whatsoever and only <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-first-combat-deployment-mig35" target="_blank">six MiG-35 fighters</a>. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/30/article_681187d049abd3_24236882.jpg" title="Egyptian Air Force MiG-29M Fighters"></p><p >The much greater investments China has made in operating the J-10C and in integrating its latest technologies onto the aircraft make it significantly more attractive than the MiG-29M, with the fighter program also benefitting from much greater economies of scale. Another major advantage of the J-10C is the much greater sophistication of China’s combat aviation sector. This discrepancy is clearly seen between the country’s fifth generation fighter programs, with the Chinese J-20 considered one of the world’s most sophisticated fighters alongside the American F-35, while the Russian Su-57 has not only been brought into service much more slowly, but is significantly less advanced in areas such as its stealth features and lack of distributed aperture systems. Discrepancies in technologies ranging from composite materials to radars and data links are expected to provide the J-10C with a significant advantage over Russian ‘4+ generation’ fighters, including not only the MiG-29M, but also much larger aircraft. The J-10C has accordingly been reported to have <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-s-j-10c-reportedly-crushed-the-russian-su-35-in-combat-exercises-how-the-firebird-came-out-on-top" >consistently outperformed</a> the Russian Su-35 in simulated engagements. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/30/article_68118919914254_92691474.jpeg" title="J-10C Equipped For Air-to-Air Combat"></p><p >Comparing the J-10C to Russian fighters, discrepancies in air-to-air missile technologies are also significant, with Russia having taken few steps to operationalise its R-77M missile as a primary armament for new fighters, while its Chinese counterpart the PL-15 has been in service for over a decade. This leaves MiG-29Ms, Su-35s and other Russian fighters heavily reliant on the R-77-1, which is broadly equivalent to the American AIM-120C and Chinese PL-12, but well behind the cutting edge. The J-10C’s advantages in visual ranges is potentially even greater, with the PL-10 missile capable of engaging at much greater off boresight angles than the R-73/74 used by Russian fighters. Overall the J-10C is likely to be considered a much more cost effective aircraft, and while more costly to procure than the MiG-29M, it has significantly lower operational costs and a far greater combat potential. Procuring the J-10C has the additional benefit of allowing Egypt to modernise its air force significantly more quickly, as Russian production of the MiG-29M and MiG-35 is limited to only around 14 fighters per year, with the aircraft produced exclusively for export and lacking domestic orders. China can deliver the fighters at close to double the speed, and produces the J-10C at a rate of approximately 50 fighters per year. Procuring the J-10C can further serve as a stepping stone to Egypt’s procurement of its first fifth generation fighters, namely the J-35, which uses many of the same technologies as the J-20 but is a lighter and less complex aircraft considered more affordable for foreign clients. </p>

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