China’s “combat-hardened” J-10C fighter jets have been dispatched to Thailand for the annual Falcon Strike 2026 army drills, the place they are going to practice with Thai JAS-39 Gripens.
The ninth iteration of the China-Thailand “Falcon Strike-2026” joint air pressure train kicked off on the Udorn Royal Thai Air Drive Base.
China has despatched quite a lot of plane, together with fighter jets, fighter-bombers, early-warning plane, aerial refueling tankers, and ground-based air protection gear for the joint drills between the Individuals’s Liberation Military Air Drive (PLAAF) and the Royal Thai Air Drive (RTAF), the state broadcaster China Central Tv (CCTV) reported on August 13.
This consists of tactical fighters such because the J-11, J-10S coach, and J-10C, in addition to the Y-20 transport plane, KJ-500 early-warning plane, aerial refueling tankers, and ground-based air protection items. The 2 sides are anticipated to coach in quite a lot of areas, resembling pressure deployment, mixed air protection, and humanitarian medical rescue.
Footage aired by CCTV confirmed the Thai Gripen fighter jet and Alpha Jet light-attack plane, in addition to PLAAF’s Y-20 transport plane, J-10C fighter jet, and J-10S fighter-trainer, collaborating within the drill.
Falcon Strike-2026：
The variation coaching for China-Thailand “Falcon Strike-2026” joint air pressure coaching train was kicked off at Udorn Royal Thai Air Drive Base (RTAF) in Thailand.
This marks the ninth joint coaching carried out by two sides. China dispatched a number of… pic.twitter.com/t9Dqjt1zdF
— China Army Bugle (@ChinaMilBugle) August 14, 2026
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Information journal, said that the combo of fighter jets, early-warning plane, tankers, and enormous transport plane creates a complete, small-scale overseas deployment and combat-validation system.
Talking of the deliberate air protection missions, Wang stated that low-altitude or medium-to-high-altitude, low-speed or high-speed targets pose critical dangers to cities and sure protected belongings, making joint air protection a significant sensible train subject within the present worldwide setting. Moreover, he added that China and Thailand can enhance coordination among the many taking part troops and higher coordinate process distribution and goal identification all through the mixed air protection coaching.
China and Thailand have kicked off preparatory coaching for the “Falcon Strike 2026” joint air pressure train at Udorn Royal Thai Air Drive Base.#ChinaDefense #militaryhttps://t.co/zaKw3NjnK9 pic.twitter.com/p34ebb8bTp
— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) August 14, 2026
The primary-ever joint drill between the PLAAF and the RTAF came about at Korat Royal Thai Air Drive Base, and its particulars weren’t revealed till 2019. Whereas the Chinese language PLAAF introduced J-11s to the wargame, the RTAF deployed the growing older Saab JAS-39C/D Gripens, as beforehand reported by the EurAsian Occasions.
Through the first two days of the 2015 wargame, the J-11s reportedly shot down 16 Gripens in a visual-range battle with no losses—a improvement that astonished army specialists. Nevertheless, because the coaching progressed, the Thai Gripens outclassed the comparatively youthful Chinese language J-11 plane within the beyond-visual-range (BVR) encounters.
Army analysts stated the Gripens outperformed the J-11s in vary. Solely 14% of Chinese language kills occurred at distances of a minimum of 19 miles, in contrast with roughly 88% of Thai kills.
Moreover, the Gripens had 10 kills at a distance of greater than 31 miles, whereas the J-11s had zero kills general.
Nevertheless, greater than a decade has handed, and the J-10Cs have since grow to be combat-hardened after the India-Pakistan conflict throughout Operation Sindoor. Earlier than this, the PLAAF had deployed the J-10C to the UAE for the primary time to take part in “Falcon Protect” army drills in December 2025.
Chinese language J-10C Dominate Headlines
The J-10Cs have remained within the headlines since Pakistan deployed them within the Indo-Pakistan battle in Might 2025. On the time, the Pakistan Air Drive (PAF) claimed that these Chinese language-origin jets had downed a number of Indian Air Drive fight jets, together with Rafales.
New Delhi outrightly rejected these claims, and the Indian Air Drive chief known as them “Manohar Kahaniyan,” translating to “Entertaining Tales.”
Notably, the jet’s participation in army drills throughout Asia is noteworthy, as Beijing is actively advertising and marketing the plane, leveraging its superior fight efficiency, aggressive pricing, and fewer political restrictions.
Whereas Pakistan is presently the one overseas operator of the plane, Bangladesh is reportedly eyeing the acquisition of about two dozen J-10CE fighter jets.
In the meantime, Indonesia is believed to be all in favour of shopping for the plane, which was reportedly provided only a month after the Indo-Pakistan battle, as beforehand reported by the EurAsian Occasions.
Indonesia has publicly stated it was contemplating buying 42 J-10C fighters, however {that a} choice had not but been made. “In the mean time, we’re contemplating all platforms that may fulfill our want to assist guard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” ministry spokesman Brigadier Normal Frega Wenas Inkiriwang stated final yr.
Notably, many of the J-10C export pitches stay within the pipeline. Actually, specialists have repeatedly flagged Beijing’s incapability to finalize a deal for the J-10C regardless of aggressively pitching the plane to Asian, African, and Southeast Asian international locations in recent times.
In Might, for example, China Every day reported that the J-10CE will obtain upgrades to make the plane extra deadly and enticing.
Talking at a information assembly in Chengdu, Li Jun, a senior researcher on the Chengdu Plane Design and Analysis Institute and the principal designer of the J-10C, acknowledged that AVIC would proceed upgrading its superior fighter jet to satisfy the necessities of overseas operators and potential consumers.
“The plane’s avionics system has obtained a generational improve. Its Energetic Electronically Scanned Array radar system can quickly detect and monitor targets, far outperforming conventional mechanically scanned radars,” Li highlighted on the occasion. “The jet boasts highly effective options, together with network-centric cooperative fight, past visible vary a number of goal engagement in intense electromagnetic eventualities, and multimodal precision strikes. It might probably additionally prevail in medium- and low-altitude dogfights,” he added.
J-10C’s AESA radar presents superior multi-target monitoring, jamming resistance, and vary in comparison with earlier PESA techniques.
Notably, although, Li praised the J-10C’s functionality and flexibility with out revealing any upgrades the institute had deliberate.
Open-source stories, nevertheless, recommend that GaN-based upgrades for elevated energy and effectivity could also be a part of future plans.
Some earlier unconfirmed stories instructed that newer batches of the J-10C could embrace floor remedies, revised panel and edge remedies, and radar-absorbing materials (RAM) coatings to cut back radar cross-section (RCS) and make the plane tougher to detect. There can also be makes an attempt to cut back the infrared (IR) signature by exhaust or engine nozzle coatings and modifications.
