Since the Chinese J-10C fighter jets arrived in Egypt for the first-ever Eagles of Civilization 2025 joint air drills, all eyes have remained on the Chinese aircraft that have been offered to Cairo. However, as per reports, Cairo has set its sights on the South Korean FA-50 instead.

According to the latest reports, the Egyptian ambassador to South Korea, Khaled Abdelrahman, stated that his country is looking to buy 100 FA-50 fighter jets. A transfer of transfer is also expected, the ambassador reportedly stated. 

The Egyptian ambassador reportedly said the discussions between the two sides have been progressing on a positive note after months of negotiations. “We hope the technical and detailed discussions between our institutions and Korean firms will lead to a successful outcome,” Abdelrahman was quoted as saying.

Currently, there is speculation that Egypt may place an initial order for 36 of the 100 aircraft. This could eventually be supplemented by the rest of the aircraft constructed immediately in Helwan, Egypt.

The report stated that the local manufacturing of aircraft in Egypt would be enabled by an agreement signed between the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the Egyptian state-owned Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) in 2023.

Additionally, a representative of the KAI was quoted as saying that the purchase would “promote the Egyptian aviation industry and strengthen strategic partnerships across Africa and the Middle East.” 

EurAsian Times has reached out to the relevant authorities and is awaiting an official confirmation.

If the reports are confirmed, it would represent a significant leap in Egypt-South Korean defense cooperation. Before the FA-50, the Egyptian government placed an order for 216 Hanwha K9 self-propelled howitzers, an unspecified number of K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, and 51 K11 fire direction control vehicles for a cost of nearly $1.7 billion.

Egypt Needs A New Fighter

The Egyptian Air Force is currently composed of American, Russian, and French fighter jets. It ordered 24 Dassault Rafale from France and 46 MiG-29M/M2 fighters from Russia in 2015. The deliveries of the MiGs began in 2017, but the Russia-Ukraine war threw a spanner in their maintenance, and their spare supply took a hit.

Separately, it purchased about two dozen Su-35s from Russia—a deal that it had to cancel later, reportedly due to pressure from the United States. This has left the Egyptian Air Force with a vacuum that it has been looking to fill with an advanced combat aircraft.

Additionally, the Egyptian Air Force needs to upgrade its F-16s or acquire more advanced jets to enhance its combat capability and readiness. However, the F-16 upgrades have suffered due to strict US regulations on spare part supplies and the imposition of unilateral, stringent operational limitations. This is why the Egyptian Air Force needs a new fighter jet, which could perhaps replace the F-16s. 

Nonetheless, the purchase of FA-50 by Egypt could come as a big setback to China, which has been pushing its J-10C to Cairo for several months now. 

The debut of the Chinese J-10C Vigorous Dragon combat aircraft at the Egypt International Air Show in September 2024 sparked a flurry of speculative speculations last year that Egypt was considering purchasing the aircraft.

A host of speculative reports emerged last year suggesting that Egypt was contemplating the purchase of the Chinese J-10C Vigorous Dragon combat aircraft, triggered by the aircraft’s debut at the Egypt International Air Show in September 2024.

In February 2025, some local Egyptian publications reported that the country had secured the delivery of the aircraft from China. The claims were later dismissed as “fake news” by the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian.

However, Beijing has likely remained hopeful of a breakthrough as it seeks to establish a significant presence in the Middle Eastern defense market.

It is for this reason that since the J-10C fighter jets touched down in Egypt for the first-ever air force drills between the two countries, there have been speculations that Beijing is still wooing the Egyptian Air Force for a deal.

On its part, China has so far sold the aircraft only to Pakistan and has been seeking new customers for its indigenously developed 4.5th-generation fighter jet.

Notably, if Egypt proceeds with the FA-50 purchase, it would be the second time South Korea would have beaten China in fighter jet exports. Earlier, the Malaysian government chose the FA-50 over the JF-17 Thunder, a jointly developed aircraft by China and Pakistan.

FA-50 For Egypt?

When pitching the FA-50 to Thailand a year ago, Kang Goo-young, the CEO of KAI, claimed that the multirole fighter could match the air capabilities of the US-origin F-16 at half the cost and with lesser maintenance. KAI has used the same argument to attract prospective customers.

The FA-50 is based on the T-50, a trainer aircraft capable of supersonic flight that was modified from the F-16 to train pilots for the KF-16 and F-15K. 

Earlier, Poland chose the FA-50 over the American F-16, whereas Malaysia chose the aircraft over Indian Tejas and China-Pakistan’s JF-17 Block III.

Customers have been particularly impressed by the timely delivery of the South Korean fighter jets. For example, Poland received the first two aircraft just ten months after inking the deal with KAI. Some reports suggested that the Polish government opted for the FA-50 because it would arrive sooner than the F-16 Vipers. 

The FA-50 is predominantly designed for air defense, strike, and jet training missions. According to information on KAI’s website, the FA-50 features a longer radome, a tactical datalink, enhanced avionics, a larger internal fuel capacity, precision-guided munitions, and self-protection subsystems. It is also reportedly equipped with an Israeli EL/M-2032 pulse-Doppler radar.

Developed to meet the demands of air forces worldwide for a lightweight fighter, the FA-50 features a sophisticated radar system that provides detection capabilities comparable to those of the KF-16, an American F-16 manufactured under license. 

South Korea is eyeing further expansion by introducing a single-seat variant of the FA-50. The announcement was made last year by South Korea’s industry ministry, which disclosed plans to invest the allocated amount in partnership with KAI Ltd., the manufacturer of FA-50 fighter jets. The investment is primarily directed towards developing the single-seat variant of the FA-50 for new markets.

The single-seat version of the aircraft will feature modifications that optimize its capabilities for various operational requirements. These modifications include the removal of the rear seat to accommodate a fuel tank, along with the elimination of associated avionics, aimed at reducing costs and potentially increasing the weapons payload. However, it is not clear whether South Korea will pitch this upgraded single-seat aircraft to Egypt.