Bangladesh and Indonesia have both officially committed to procuring the Chengdu J-10, a single-engine medium-weight multirole fighter offered by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
Indonesia’s defence minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and finance minister, Yudhi Sadewa, have both been quoted speaking on a deal in the works, with the latter saying that the budget request for the purchase is awaiting approval.
Jane’s reports that Indonesia is planning to procure second-hand J-10B airframes from People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) stocks, while AP News reported that Defence Minister Sjamsoeddin suggested that the J-10CE is being procured.
Likewise, interim Bangladesh government official Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan stated on X that a government-to-government (G2G) deal is underway to buy new “multirole combat and attack aircraft.”
Though the specific type was not disclosed, a number of sources indicate that it is the J-10CE (though Western options were considered), with local media reporting that a USD $2.2 billion deal for 20 aircraft is underway.
Attributed to the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) apparent success in using the platform (which shot down several Indian fighter aircraft), the AVIC J-10CE is seeing a surge in market interest.
The potential sales to Bangladesh and Indonesia could be the watershed moment Beijing’s been waiting for to capture a share of the global defence aviation market and, potentially, set the stage for its export growth.
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