France’s most senior military commander has arrived in Egypt just days after Chinese J-16 fighter jets trained against French-made Rafales, a development that has drawn NATO attention as Cairo prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping during his upcoming Africa visit.
France’s most powerful military commander lands in Egypt after advanced Chinese J-16 fighter jets train against Rafales, days before Xi Jinping’s Africa visit
- France’s top military commander visited Egypt following joint air combat training between Chinese J-16s and Egyptian Rafales.
- The Chinese J-16 deployment to Egypt for the Eagles of Civilisation 2026 drills drew rare Western interest in the aircraft’s capabilities.
- Exercises provided both Egyptian and French forces insights into Chinese air power, though intelligence gathering was not officially confirmed.
- Egypt continues to balance its defence ties, operating both Western jets like the Rafale and expanding cooperation with China amid Xi Jinping’s expected visit.
Gen Fabien Mandon, Chief of the French Defence Staff, travelled to Cairo on August 24 at the head of a senior military delegation and met Egypt’s Defence Minister Lt Gen Ashraf Salem Zaher and Chief of Staff Lt Gen Ahmed Khalifa
The talks covered issues of mutual interest and ways to deepen cooperation across several military fields.
Mandon’s visit came a day after reports confirmed that Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighters had conducted medium- and close-range combat training against Egyptian Rafales during the Eagles of Civilisation 2026 exercises.
China deployed at least six J-16 fighters to Egypt for the drills, according to open-
Business Insider Africa had earlier reported on the deployment, which marked a rare appearance of the heavyweight Chinese fighter on the African continent.
In a recent report, Military Watch Magazine cited localt in learning more about the J-16 and its capabilities
The Rafale is part of NATO’s wider air-power network and routinely trains alongside allied aircraft, including F-35s and F-16s, making any operational insight from the drills potentially relevant beyond France.
However, there is no confirmation that intelligence gathering on the Chinese fighter formed part of Mandon’s visit.
Most notably, the visit comes just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected in Egypt, adding a diplomatic dimension to Cairo’s expanding military relationship with Beijing.
DON’T MISS:Nearly five years after staging a military coup, president of gold-rich Guinea sacks officer who helped him seize power along with 173 other soldiers
France’s top military commander visited Egypt following joint air combat training between Chinese J-16s and Egyptian Rafales.BI Africa
France remains one of Egypt’s main Western defence partners, with Cairo operating French-made Rafales and Mirage 2000s alongside US-made F-16s.
At the same time, Egypt has expanded defence cooperation with China, with the Eagles of Civilisation exercises giving both air forces an opportunity to train with aircraft built around different military doctrines and technologies.
The latest drills brought Chinese J-16s into direct training with Egyptian Rafales, allowing the aircraft to operate against each other in simulated combat.
Reports from the exercises said the J-16s demonstrated significant advantages, although those claims have not been independently confirmed.
DON’T MISS:America makes its move to counter Europe’s most powerful military as it expands into Africa with 6 new military bases and a stealth fighter jet deal
The J-16 is one of China’s main heavyweight 4.5-generation multirole fighters and forms an important part of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force alongside the newer J-20 stealth fighter.
Like the French-made Rafale, the J-16 is generally classed as a 4.5-generation fighter, but the two aircraft differ in design and role.
The J-16 is a larger, twin-engine heavy fighter with greater payload and range, while the Rafale is a lighter multirole aircraft designed for air combat, strike and carrier-capable operations.
Meanwhile, Egypt has reportedly shown interest in acquiring Chinese J-10 fighters.
Beijing, however, is said to have approached any potential sale cautiously because Cairo maintains defence ties with several major powers, unlike Algeria’s closer military relationship with Russia or Morocco’s longstanding security partnership with the United States.
