Uzbekistan may be shifting toward Chinese J-10CE fighter jets rather than a Russian option, according to specialist defense outlets, in a potential challenge to Moscow’s dominance of Central Asian arms markets. Uzbekistan currently flies an aging Soviet-era fleet of MiG-29s and Su-27s, according to Meta-Defense, citing IISS Military Balance data. The claim remains unconfirmed by Uzbekistan’s Defence Ministry, and Tashkent’s Defense Industry Agency denied an earlier version of the story when it first circulated in 2025, according to The Defence Blog.
Uzbekistan’s defense minister is reported to have confirmed a 24-aircraft J-10CE contract in July 2025, with two jets delivered that month, though Defence Security Asia itself acknowledges no Uzbek, Chinese or satellite source has corroborated a further claim that four more arrived in 2026. Air Data News said it could not locate the original confirmation in any language, and Uzbek outlet Kun.uz has treated the reports cautiously rather than as settled fact.
The reported shift has precedent: Uzbekistan left the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2012 and has since bought Turkish drones and other non-Russian equipment, part of a wider Central Asian move away from Moscow that accelerated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has also previously been reported to operate Chinese FD-2000 air-defense systems. India shows a parallel pattern: its defense secretary said in July it would skip Russia’s Su-57E while upgrading its Su-30MKI fleet and pursuing an indigenous stealth fighter, according to India Today.
