The exercise marks the first deployment of Chinese J-16 fighters to Africa and sees them training against Egyptian Rafales and MiG-29M2s.
Building on the 2025 edition of the Egyptian-Chinese Eagles of Civilization drills, this year’s exercise sees People Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) J-16s training with Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Rafale and MiG-29M2 fighters. The training event also marks the first time J-16s deployed to Africa, after having previously visited Russia, Thailand and Pakistan.
China released extensive official imagery and information, while the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson only confirmed the participation of the EAF Rafale and MiG-29M2. It must be noted that the J-16 has trained with another Western platform in the past, the JAS39 Gripen of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), in this year’s Falcon Strike exercise.
Shenyang J-16 VS Dassault Rafale:
Chinese and Egyptian air force pilots participating in the Eagles of Civilization 2026 joint training conducted medium- and close-range air combat drills on August 23, 2026. #China #Egypt #AirForce#EaglesofCivilization2026#J16 #MiG29… pic.twitter.com/DduBaktqeM
— China Military Bugle (@ChinaMilBugle) August 24, 2026
The exercise kicked off on Aug. 23, 2026, and is slated to continue until early-September. Other assets involved are the Y-9LG airborne Stand-Off Jammer (SOJ) platform. the KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft, Y-20 airlifters, YY-20A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft and Z-20 tactical utility helicopters.
Eagles of Civilization 2026
The clearest visual evidence of the J-16 and Rafale taking part in air combat training together comes from an official video feature from the Chinese military, provocatively titled “Shenyang J-16 vs Dassault Rafale.” The footage included a clip from the J-16’s cockpit showing a Rafale making a high-speed pass to the left of the Chinese fighter, in what could be the beginning of a high-aspect Basic Fighter Maneuver (BFM) scenario.
The video called it “medium and close-range air combat drills”, although it is unclear if the fighters faced each other in beyond and later within visual-range combat. The video also specified the scenario was part of the first day of the exercise.
Other official Chinese footage showed the J-16s taking off, videos from its cockpit, and the J-16s and MiG-29s landing with their brake chute. PLA officer Shen Hao laid out the types of air combat mission sets to CCTV:
“The joint training will progress from basic one-on-one and two-on-two air combat to more integrated system-level operations. As mutual understanding between the pilots deepens, we can more effectively exchange tactical concepts and operational techniques. [This] enhances tactical proficiency and combat capabilities of both sides.”
China Military Bugle officially identified the above-mentioned platforms involved in EoC 2026, confirming that the “participation of the J-16 marks the first time China has sent any of its heavyweight fighter jets to Africa.” It noted the PLAAF’s strategic capability to execute expeditionary inter-continental, heavy, large fleet and sophisticated exercises, while touching upon Egyptian cooperation:
“The fleet flew more than 6,000 kilometers across two continents and four countries in nearly nine hours, overcoming challenges including the long flight and complex weather conditions. En route to Egypt, a YY-20A tanker aircraft conducted aerial refueling for J-16 fighter jets.
After arriving in Egypt, Chinese military personnel promptly unloaded supplies, organized equipment and conducted exchanges and coordination with their Egyptian counterparts as they began preparations for the training phase. The cross-border deployment and rapid loading and unloading operations demonstrated the Chinese air force personnel’s capabilities in long-range projection, agile deployment and cross-system operations.”
The Chinese PLA Air Force has sent an elite fleet of aircraft, including the J-16 fighter jet, to Egypt for the “Eagles of Civilization 2026” joint training exercise.
The multiple types of aircraft and personnel participating in the exercise arrived at an Egyptian air base on… pic.twitter.com/ytUbRpBiXL
— China Military Bugle (@ChinaMilBugle) August 24, 2026
The publication also mentioned “air combat tactics, air superiority operations, and search-and-rescue missions” are included in the mission sets of the exercise. No images and information were however released by the Egyptian MoD.
Other official Chinese footage showed debriefings between the PLAAF and EAF personnel, in what China Daily said involved “in-depth discussions on the joint training scenarios, clarifying flight safety and airspace control rules, takeoff and landing procedures, and emergency response protocols.”
The first-ever combat exercise between China’s J-16 heavyweight fighter jets and the French-made Rafale fighters took place on Sunday, according to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
In video footage published by the #PLA Air Force on Monday, Chinese pilots were seen… pic.twitter.com/2D4ua7t8lI
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) August 24, 2026
The journey and previous J-16 international deployments
The J-16’s impending participation in the drills was revealed in unofficial photographs of the PLAAF contingent of at least six J-16s (from the 98th Air Brigade), a Y-20 cargo aircraft and a KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft captured at Pakistan’s Karachi airport on Aug. 20, while en route to Egypt.
— Hûrin (@Hurin92) August 21, 2026
In the contingent’s onward journey, a YY-20A is also seen refuelling two J-16s, while the Z-20 appears to have been unloaded from the Y-20. The six J16s and four Y-20s were also tracked on FlightRadar.
In Pakistan the J-16 is not an unfamiliar sight, as it flew with Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighters and J-10Cs during Islamabad’s and Beijing’s recurring Indus Shield exercises. The first time the J-16 participated in an exercise outside China, however, was in August 2021 in Russia during the International Army Games, along with the J-10 and the Y-20 strategic airlifter.
🇨🇳🇪🇬 Six J-16 fighter jets, along with a KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft and a Y-20 transport aircraft, were spotted in Karachi, Pakistan, ahead of their deployment to Egypt for the joint Egyptian-Chinese air forces exercise. https://t.co/SmC9DJwjvD pic.twitter.com/KO9hf8faQ4
— Egypt’s Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) August 20, 2026
