Unconfirmed reports claim Uzbekistan received four new Chinese J-10CE fighter jets this week

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Uzbekistan may have taken delivery of four new Chinese J-10CE fighter jets this week.

On July 21 and 22, 2026, claims circulated on Chinese social media and among open-source defense analysts indicating that Uzbekistan’s Air and Air Defence Forces had reportedly received an additional four Chengdu J-10CE fighters.

However, neither Tashkent nor Beijing has issued any official statement confirming this delivery. Caution is advised, as similar unconfirmed claims regarding the J-10 have surfaced previously without subsequent material verification. Nevertheless, Uzbekistan's decision to acquire Chinese aircraft now appears more consistent with its evolving defense strategy.

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defence officially confirmed a contract for 24 J-10CEs in July 2025, with deliveries scheduled in phases and pilot conversion training to take place in China. The only officially confirmed arrival to date remains two aircraft in Tashkent on July 2, 2025. This established timeline provides a crucial reference point for evaluating the recent claims, though it does not definitively confirm the handover of this new batch of four aircraft to Uzbek forces.

Premature delivery announcements are common within Chinese military observation circles, particularly when aircraft are observed leaving factories or configured for export. Such reports can sometimes precede official communications but may also mistakenly identify aircraft undergoing trials, in transit, or simply being prepared for a client. In Uzbekistan's case, the contract timeline makes progress in the program plausible, though bringing 24 fighters into operational service, complete with pilots, mechanics, weapons, and simulators, is expected to span several years.

The agreement is noted to enhance China's military-industrial influence in Central Asia, potentially diminishing Russia's traditional dominance in the regional arms market. Concurrently, the report emphasizes Uzbekistan's intention to maintain security cooperation with Moscow as part of its multi-vector foreign policy.

**Note**: The J-10CE is China's most advanced export-oriented, 4.5-generation multirole fighter jet. Developed by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, it is the export variant of the J-10C model produced for the domestic market.

**Key Technical Specifications**:

* **Crew**: 1

* **Length**: 16.9 m

* **Wingspan**: 9.8 m

* **Height**: 5.7 m

* **Max. takeoff weight**: 19,277 kg

* **Powerplant**: 1 × Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofan

* **Max. speed**: Mach 2.2

* **Combat range**: 1,240 km

* **Ferry range**: 3,200 km

* **Armament**: 1 × 23 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 cannon, PL-10, PL-15, PL-12, PL-8, YJ-91, KD-88, LS-500J, FT series guided bombs.

Currently, the Pakistan Air Force is the sole foreign operator of the J-10CE, having integrated these jets into service beginning in 2022.