Egypt did not buy, Indonesia did not buy, Thailand did not buy, this series of operations went down, how does it feel like this is playing?
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In recent years, the competition in the global fighter aircraft market has become more and more fierce, China's J-10C, the French "Wind", the Swedish "Oak Lion", the American F-16 and other models appear to be a match of technology and performance, and the truth behind the complex political and strategic considerations.
The choice of countries is not simply to pursue the "best" aircraft, but to find the best solution in the multi-dimensional military, diplomacy, economy and so on.
The Egyptian Air Force has long been dominated by American-made F-16 fighters, and has maintained close military cooperation with the United States since 1980s. The number of F-16s is huge and the system is mature. The training, logistics, weapons mounting, and command systems of the Egyptian Air Force are almost all built around this platform. However, this deep binding also forced Egypt to consider the influence of American factors at critical moments.
According to the Countering America's Enemies with Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the United States can exert pressure and affect the combat readiness of the Egyptian Air Force by restricting the supply of parts and delaying upgrading services.
In 2025, the United States promised to provide US $4.67 billion in military assistance to Egypt. This is not only financial support, but also means that the Egyptian Air Force will not face the risk of logistical "cut-off" in the next few years. This has become an important reason why Egypt gave up the purchase of Chinese J-10C and instead chose South Korean FA-50 compatible with American system.
The latter can not only share some support facilities and weapons and ammunition with the F-16, but also significantly reduce the cost of rebuilding the logistics chain. Egypt's choice seems pragmatic, but in fact it is an early avoidance of "political risks" and a rational trade-off between US-Egypt relations and the air force combat system.
The Indonesian mindset was more flexible, with Indonesia already signing a contract for 42 French Armored Fighter Jets in 2022, the country’s largest arms purchase contract in history.
The J-10C performed excellently in several international military exercises, radar, aerospace, weapons capabilities are comprehensive, and the price is relative to the people, enough to become the "chart" on the negotiating table.
Indonesia did not really turn to purchasing J-10C, but took advantage of the possibility of this option to force France to reduce long-term maintenance costs in subsequent negotiations and agree to more technology transfer and localized production.
This not only saves huge operating costs, but also gives Indonesia valuable experience in fighter aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, laying the foundation for the future development of independent defense industry.Indonesia's approach shows that small and medium-sized nations are not entirely passive between the games of the great powers, they can fight for their best through flexible diplomacy and market bidding.
Thailand's decision-making is more inclined to robust and pragmatic.The Thai Air Force has long formed the "Eagle Lion" combat aircraft system, and while Sweden's Eagle Lion fighter aircraft is about 30% more expensive than the J-10C, it can save up to 35% on logistics and training costs.
Thailand is aware of its geographical position in the Central and Southern Peninsula and cannot completely turn to one side, so it has chosen to maintain a "balanced" attitude: to maintain military cooperation with the United States and not to exclude economic exchanges with China.
The case of the three countries clearly shows that the purchase of warplanes has long been not a simple "who performs well to buy who", it is the result of a comprehensive consideration of political security, military security, fiscal budget, and diplomatic relations.
Even if the J-10C has a brilliant performance in air warfare performance, it can be higher than the F-16, Armor, Eagle Lion, but once it involves the logistical security system, pilot training, weapons supply of ammunition and international political pressure, the final decision will often compromise to reality.
Purchasing a fighter aircraft that is completely different from the existing system means huge transition costs and even triggers friction at the diplomatic level, which is uncompromising for many small and medium-sized countries.
Arms procurement is not only a military issue, but also an economic and diplomatic issue. Any large-scale military purchase is accompanied by decades-long maintenance and upgrade contracts, which also means a certain degree of strategic dependence.
The moment the country signs the contract, it is actually choosing its future security partner. The international competitiveness of the J-10C is constantly improving, but the real challenge it faces is not its performance, but how to make potential buyers feel "safe" in the global political and economic landscape and convince them that they will not pay an additional strategic price by choosing China. This is the key to determining the future market share.
Source: Shenzhen finance - Egypt does not buy, Indonesia does not buy, Thailand does not buy, the J-10C is clear, why nobody bought?
Trouble see the official gentlemen in the upper right corner and click on "attention", which is both convenient for you to discuss and share, but can bring you more quality content, thank you for your support!
In recent years, the competition in the global fighter aircraft market has become more and more fierce, China's J-10C, the French "Wind", the Swedish "Oak Lion", the American F-16 and other models appear to be a match of technology and performance, and the truth behind the complex political and strategic considerations.
The choice of countries is not simply to pursue the "best" aircraft, but to find the best solution in the multi-dimensional military, diplomacy, economy and so on.
The Egyptian Air Force has long been dominated by American-made F-16 fighters, and has maintained close military cooperation with the United States since 1980s. The number of F-16s is huge and the system is mature. The training, logistics, weapons mounting, and command systems of the Egyptian Air Force are almost all built around this platform. However, this deep binding also forced Egypt to consider the influence of American factors at critical moments.
According to the Countering America's Enemies with Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the United States can exert pressure and affect the combat readiness of the Egyptian Air Force by restricting the supply of parts and delaying upgrading services.
In 2025, the United States promised to provide US $4.67 billion in military assistance to Egypt. This is not only financial support, but also means that the Egyptian Air Force will not face the risk of logistical "cut-off" in the next few years. This has become an important reason why Egypt gave up the purchase of Chinese J-10C and instead chose South Korean FA-50 compatible with American system.
The latter can not only share some support facilities and weapons and ammunition with the F-16, but also significantly reduce the cost of rebuilding the logistics chain. Egypt's choice seems pragmatic, but in fact it is an early avoidance of "political risks" and a rational trade-off between US-Egypt relations and the air force combat system.
The Indonesian mindset was more flexible, with Indonesia already signing a contract for 42 French Armored Fighter Jets in 2022, the country’s largest arms purchase contract in history.
The J-10C performed excellently in several international military exercises, radar, aerospace, weapons capabilities are comprehensive, and the price is relative to the people, enough to become the "chart" on the negotiating table.
Indonesia did not really turn to purchasing J-10C, but took advantage of the possibility of this option to force France to reduce long-term maintenance costs in subsequent negotiations and agree to more technology transfer and localized production.
This not only saves huge operating costs, but also gives Indonesia valuable experience in fighter aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, laying the foundation for the future development of independent defense industry.Indonesia's approach shows that small and medium-sized nations are not entirely passive between the games of the great powers, they can fight for their best through flexible diplomacy and market bidding.
Thailand's decision-making is more inclined to robust and pragmatic.The Thai Air Force has long formed the "Eagle Lion" combat aircraft system, and while Sweden's Eagle Lion fighter aircraft is about 30% more expensive than the J-10C, it can save up to 35% on logistics and training costs.
Thailand is aware of its geographical position in the Central and Southern Peninsula and cannot completely turn to one side, so it has chosen to maintain a "balanced" attitude: to maintain military cooperation with the United States and not to exclude economic exchanges with China.
The case of the three countries clearly shows that the purchase of warplanes has long been not a simple "who performs well to buy who", it is the result of a comprehensive consideration of political security, military security, fiscal budget, and diplomatic relations.
Even if the J-10C has a brilliant performance in air warfare performance, it can be higher than the F-16, Armor, Eagle Lion, but once it involves the logistical security system, pilot training, weapons supply of ammunition and international political pressure, the final decision will often compromise to reality.
Purchasing a fighter aircraft that is completely different from the existing system means huge transition costs and even triggers friction at the diplomatic level, which is uncompromising for many small and medium-sized countries.
Arms procurement is not only a military issue, but also an economic and diplomatic issue. Any large-scale military purchase is accompanied by decades-long maintenance and upgrade contracts, which also means a certain degree of strategic dependence.
The moment the country signs the contract, it is actually choosing its future security partner. The international competitiveness of the J-10C is constantly improving, but the real challenge it faces is not its performance, but how to make potential buyers feel "safe" in the global political and economic landscape and convince them that they will not pay an additional strategic price by choosing China. This is the key to determining the future market share.
Source: Shenzhen finance - Egypt does not buy, Indonesia does not buy, Thailand does not buy, the J-10C is clear, why nobody bought?