Pics: Egypt holds military drills with China in historic first
Last week, China's Ministry of National Defense published a press release, saying, 'According to the consensus between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, the Chinese PLA Air Force will send a detachment to Egypt to take part in the China-Egypt joint air force training code-named 'Eagles of Civilization 2025' from mid April to early May in 2025.'
China's Ministry of National Defense added, 'This is the first joint training between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, which is of great significance to promoting pragmatic cooperation and enhancing mutual trust and friendship between the two militaries.'
According to The War Zone, China's People's Liberation Army Air Force has deployed J-10B/C fighters, a KJ-50 AWACS aircraft, and a Y-20U aerial refueling tanker for the military drills, while Egypt is flying MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum fighters.
In a post on Facebook, an Egyptian military spokesperson confirmed that 'a number of multi-role fighter aircraft of various models' are being featured in the joint military drills and that the 'Eagles of Civilization 2025' exercises are aimed to 'unify combat concepts between the two sides through a series of theoretical and practical lectures.'
READ MORE: China's military buildup poses 'real and serious threat,' Pentagon warns
The Egyptian military spokesperson said, 'The training will also involve joint aerial sorties, planning exercises, and simulated air combat management operations to exchange expertise and enhance the skills of the participating forces.' The spokesperson added that the current military drills are 'within the framework of strengthening military cooperation relations between the Egyptian and Chinese armed forces.'
Mohammed Soliman, a Middle East Institute senior fellow, told Breaking Defense that the joint military drills featuring Egypt and China represent a 'pivotal shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics' as a United States ally is partnering with China on military exercises. Soliman noted that by hosting the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Air Force, Egypt is signaling to the United States that it is frustrated by 'US restrictions on modernizing its F-16 fleet' and that the U.S. ally is 'poised to diversify its defense procurement.'
David Des Roches, a professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies, told Breaking Defense that the joint military exercises come as Egypt is growing increasingly concerned regarding military aid annually provided by the United States.
Roches said, 'The Trump administration is more skeptical towards foreign aid than previous administrations in the past, and the aid to Egypt is always viewed with skepticism within the United States, even when relations with Egypt are generally favorable.'
Pictures of the joint Egyptian and Chinese military drills were shared Sunday on X, formerly Twitter.
The 1st training day of the "Eagle of Civilization 2025" China & Egypt joint training began on April 19, PLAAF training group consisted of J-10C/S fighters, a KJ-500 AWACS a/c, YY-20A tanker and helio. pic.twitter.com/aorGLw9tlm — dafeng cao (@dafengcao) April 20, 2025
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