China offers Chengdu J-10CE fighter to Colombia
Taking advantage of the prominence obtained in the recent battle between the air forces of Pakistan and India, China offered the Chengdu J-10CE to the Colombian Air Force (FAC).
A recent meeting between the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and China, Xi Jinping, held in Beijing, brought up the J-10CE fighter as a topic of discussion between the leaders of the two countries.
During the meeting, in a bold move by China, reported by several media outlets in the neighboring country, the J-10CE was offered to the Colombian government, which recently officially selected the Saab Gripen fighter for its air force.
As is known, Colombia is in the sphere of geostrategic interest of the United States, and is traditionally a country very close to it.
Furthermore, Colombia also has ties with Israel, which still has 22 IAI Kfir fighters in its air force, but is in the process of deactivating them.
For this reason, Colombia urgently needs to replace the 22 Kfirs and at least 12 Gripen fighters are reportedly being negotiated with Sweden. The contract could be signed this year.
Two J-10 squadrons
However, China has reportedly offered the J-10CE to equip two squadrons of the Colombian Air Force, with 24 aircraft under negotiation, with flexible financing conditions.
As a 4.5th generation fighter, the Chengdu J-10CE is comparable to the Saab Gripen, the fighter that is currently of interest to the Colombian government.
For Colombia, the offer of the J-10CE is tempting due to the bureaucratic and financial facilities, but it would represent a huge challenge in operational and doctrinal terms.
China is not a traditional supplier and, similarly, the use of the Chengdu aircraft has negative implications for the US government, which finances Colombian anti-drug trafficking programs.
The Chengdu fighter’s surprising performance in the brief conflict between India and Pakistan, when Pakistani J-10CEs shot down at least one Indian Dassault Rafale using PL-15E air-to-air missiles, is in its favor.
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Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
