China's On-Ground Technical Personnel During the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict
One year after Operation Sindoor, Chinese state television (CCTV) broadcast admissions by Chinese engineers that they were physically present at Pakistani airbases during the May 2025 four-day conflict.
Zhang Heng, an engineer at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, stated he was deployed at a Pakistani support base to ensure the J-10CE fighter jets and their associated systems could "perform at their full combat potential."
A colleague, engineer Xu Da, confirmed the team's role in supporting Pakistan's combat aviation operations; Zhang described working in conditions of near-50°C heat while hearing air-raid sirens and watching jets scramble.
Pakistan's J-10CE fleet of 36 aircraft — along with hundreds of PL-15E long-range air-to-air missiles — were supplied by China and played a central role in Pakistan's air operations during the conflict.
This is understood to be China's first official acknowledgement that its civilian defence-industry personnel were embedded with Pakistani military operations during an active interstate conflict.
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and the J-10CE
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is a Chinese state-owned aerospace and defence conglomerate, established in 2008 through the merger of AVIC I and AVIC II. It is one of the world's largest defence manufacturers. The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG), a subsidiary, designed and manufactures the J-10 series. The J-10CE is the export variant of the J-10C — a 4.5-generation multirole fighter — developed for Pakistan. Pakistan Air Force formally inducted the first batch of six J-10CEs at a ceremony in Kamra in March 2022.
Key Details
- J-10CE is a 4.5+ generation multirole combat aircraft powered by the WS-10B turbofan engine (approximately 31,000 lbs thrust).
- Equipped with KLJ-10 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar — reported to offer a ~50 km detection range advantage over the F-16C Block 52 radar.
- Armed with PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (BVR AAM) — export version with a range of approximately 145 km (full PL-15 range: 200–300 km, speed: Mach 5).
- Pakistan's initial order: 20 aircraft valued at $1.525 billion USD; total fleet reached 36 aircraft.
- The J-10CE was inducted into PAF in March 2022 with then-PM Imran Khan present at the ceremony.
- China's PLARF (People's Liberation Army Rocket Force) uses a similar concept of civilian experts embedded in technology transfer arrangements.
Zhang Heng worked at AVIC's Chengdu institute — the J-10CE's manufacturer. His presence at a Pakistani airbase during combat marks the first publicly confirmed instance of a Chinese defence-sector engineer embedded with a foreign military's live combat operations.
PL-15 Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVR AAM)
Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (BVR AAMs) are guided missiles capable of engaging aerial targets at ranges exceeding visual line of sight — typically beyond 30 km. The PL-15 (Pili-15) is China's most advanced BVR AAM, developed by AVIC's subsidiary and designed to counter fifth-generation aircraft by defeating their electronic countermeasures. It is equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) seeker and a two-stage solid-propellant rocket motor, giving it Mach 5 speed.
Key Details
- PL-15 full variant range: 200–300 km; Mach 5 speed.
- PL-15E (export variant for Pakistan): approximately 145 km range — reduced deliberately to comply with Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) export thresholds or strategic considerations.
- MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime) is a voluntary export control arrangement (founded 1987, 35 members) that restricts transfer of missiles capable of carrying 500 kg payload to 300 km+ range.
- India's comparable BVR AAM: the Meteor missile (on Rafale), with a "no-escape zone" reportedly exceeding 60 km; ASTRA Mk1 (indigenous, ~80 km range).
- Pakistan's PL-15E deployment during May 2025 prompted significant analysis about the evolving air-power balance in South Asia.
The CCTV broadcast confirmed Chinese engineers were on-site to maintain the J-10CE/PL-15 systems; this makes the Chinese technical presence a direct enabler of Pakistani air operations involving PL-15E missiles.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Strategic Relationship
The China-Pakistan relationship is often described as an "all-weather strategic cooperative partnership." Beyond CPEC (the $62 billion infrastructure corridor connecting Gwadar Port to Kashgar in China's Xinjiang), the defence dimension includes: technology transfer, joint manufacturing (JF-17 Thunder), weapons sales (submarines, aircraft, missiles), and satellite cooperation. China is Pakistan's largest arms supplier — accounting for over 80% of Pakistan's arms imports (SIPRI data).
Key Details
- China is Pakistan's largest arms supplier: >80% of Pakistani arms imports are Chinese-origin (SIPRI).
- JF-17 Thunder: jointly developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and AVIC's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation; over 150 inducted into PAF.
- CPEC: $62 billion (original figure); runs from Gwadar (Balochistan) to Kashgar (Xinjiang); part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
- China has consistently blocked UN Security Council resolutions designating Pakistan-based terrorist groups.
- The 2025 conflict marked the first time Chinese military-industrial personnel were confirmed present during an active India-Pakistan conflict — a qualitative escalation in China's military support posture.
Zhang Heng's deployment represents the China-Pakistan defence relationship moving from arms transfers to active operational support — a strategic shift with direct implications for India's two-front strategic calculus.
- Zhang Heng's employer: AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute
- J-10CE fleet size (Pakistan): 36 aircraft
- J-10CE initial induction ceremony: March 2022, Kamra Airbase, Pakistan
- J-10CE initial contract value: $1.525 billion for 20 aircraft + 240 PL-15E missiles
- PL-15E range (export variant): ~145 km; PL-15 (domestic): 200–300 km
- PL-15 speed: Mach 5
- AVIC established: 2008 (merger of AVIC I and AVIC II)
- China's share of Pakistan arms imports: >80% (SIPRI)
- MTCR founded: 1987, with 35 member states
- Operation Sindoor conflict duration: 4 days (May 7–10, 2025)