MiGFLUG posted on 23 August 2026 an article titled "China Flies Its Heavy Fighters to Africa" by Joseph Duncan.
A formation of Shenyang J-16 strike jets made its first flight to Africa and landed at an Egyptian air base on 21 August, opening the second edition of the "Eagles of Civilization" joint exercises between the Chinese and Egyptian air forces.
The J-16s covered more than 6,000 kilometers across two continents and four countries in roughly nine hours, topped up in the air by a Xian YY-20A refueling tanker.
This is another indication of Egypt's steadily deepening military cooperation with Beijing.
