Chinese J-16 fighter jets flew simulated combat drills against Egyptian Rafale jets over Egypt, marking a first-of-its-kind encounter.
The exercise took place on August 23 during Eagles of Civilization 2026, a joint China-Egypt military exercise.
Pilots staged one-on-one mock dogfights after receiving safety briefings, with no live weapons involved in the drills.
Chinese state media released footage showing an Egyptian Rafale flying close beside a J-16 during the exercise.
Neither Beijing nor Cairo announced an official outcome, so no side has claimed a confirmed simulated victory.
The deployment marked the J-16’s first appearance in Africa, backed by early-warning, tanker and jamming aircraft.
The drills follow earlier J-16 training against Sweden’s Gripen jets flown by Thailand during exercise Falcon Strike.
Analysts say such exercises let pilots test tactics and aircraft against unfamiliar Western and Chinese-built rivals.