Iran Set To Buy Chinese J-10C Fighter Jets After Israeli Drubbing, It Also Eyes PL-15 Missiles Used By Pakistan Against India

1st July 2025 at 1:04 PM

2 minutes read

New Delhi : Iran’s air force was nowhere in sight. Iran couldn’t intercept much, and the air force didn’t even scramble its jets. Days after the Israeli and American aerial offensive on Iran, reports suggest Tehran is now set to purchase Chinese Chengdu J-10C fighter jets, which is hosting an ageing and underfunded fleet. The move by Tehran to opt for the cheaper Chinese jets compatible with the PL-15 missiles, used by Pakistan’s air force, comes after its deal with Russia for fighter jets made no headway.

Iran has intensified negotiations with China to acquire the Chengdu J-10C, a 4.5-generation multirole fighter jet, after a failed deal with Russia for Su-35 aircraft, reported The Moscow Times, and Ukrainian news agency RBC Ukraine. With just four of the promised 50 Su-35 jets delivered since the 2023 contract, sanctions-hit Iran is now eyeing the Chinese J-10C, the same jet China’s iron brother Pakistan had deployed against India during the mini-war in May.

In 2015, talks began for a deal involving 150 jets, but it fell through as China demanded payment in foreign currency, while cash-strapped Tehran could offer just oil and gas instead. The UN arms embargo on Iran at the time further stalled the agreement, reported Ukrainian news agency RBC Ukraine. A May 2025 report by Forbes suggests that Iran was interested in purchasing 36 J-10Cs from China.

More recently, around the time of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Iran announced that it had finalised a deal with Moscow to acquire Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters, S-400 air-defense systems, and Yak-130 trainer aircraft. However, the only equipment Iran actually received from the deal was the training jets, according to a report.

These include F-4 Phantoms, F-5E/F Tigers, F-14A Tomcats, and MiG-29s. Though much of Tehran’s fighter fleet is outdated and largely unserviceable, according to The Military Balance 2025, an open-source report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Though much of Tehran’s fighter fleet is outdated and largely unserviceable, according to The Military Balance 2025, an open-source report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

The aircraft has a delta wing-canard configuration, which offers superior agility in dogfights. What makes the J-10C particularly formidable is its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which improves target tracking and resistance to jamming. Its compatibility with beyond-visual-range missiles like the PL-15, which reportedly outranges some Western counterparts, gives it the ability to strike targets from a distance.