A J-10C fighter jet of the Bayi Aerobatic Team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force takes off from an airfield after being delivered in spring 2023. Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corp of China

J-10C fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's Bayi Aerobatic Team will deliver flight performances at the upcoming Singapore Airshow for the first time, with the aircraft scheduled to make a direct flight to Singapore via in-flight refueling, according to Chinese media reports on Sunday. An expert said that through the event, the J-10C is expected to attract more foreign procurement interests.

After the Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that the PLA Air Force's Bayi Aerobatic Team will attend the 10th edition of the Singapore Airshow from late January to early February, performing flight demonstrations using J-10 series fighter jets, the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday that the team's J-10 series fighter jets have recently conducted training sessions in preparation for the event at an airfield in North China.

Video footage of the CCTV report shows that J-10C and J-10S fighter jets participated in the training.

This will mark the Bayi Aerobatic Team's first appearance at the Singapore Airshow since their participation in the seventh edition in 2020, according to the CCTV report. Previous official media reports show that the Bayi Aerobatic Team switched to flying the J-10C aircraft since 2023.

This means that the upcoming Singapore Airshow will for the first time see the Bayi Aerobatic Team deliver flight performances with the J-10C.

A Weibo post on Sunday by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the maker of the J-10 series fighter jets, also confirmed the news.

In addition to the first participation of the J-10C, there will be new maneuvers to be displayed at the airshow. Zhang Chunlei of the Bayi Aerobatic Team said in the CCTV report that the display maneuvers have been expanded to include a six-aircraft formation barrel roll, a five-aircraft fly-past, and an axis rotation maneuver performed by the Aircraft No.6. "These aerobatic moves are making their debut at the Singapore Airshow," he said.

The pilot further revealed that unlike their previous participation in 2020, when the team's aircraft made transits at multiple airfields before arriving in Singapore without in-flight refueling, this time, the team will make a direct flight with in-flight refueling.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday that these flight maneuvers and in-flight refueling reflect a high level of combat readiness of the PLA Air Force as well as the capabilities of the J-10C.

Having the J-10C demonstrate its capabilities through flight performances at international airshows can also attract more foreign interests for procurement, the expert said.

China's J-10C fighter jet has attracted international interests after its export version, the J-10CE, achieved success in real combat in May 2025, shooting down multiple hostile aircraft in aerial combat without suffering a single loss of its own, according to official Chinese media reports.

When asked about reports saying that some countries have been in talks with China about weapon procurement plans involving the J-10 fighter jet, Jiang Bin, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson, said on July 8, 2025 at a press briefing that "we have always adhered to a prudent and responsible attitude toward military product exports. We are ready to share the achievements of China's equipment development with friendly countries and play a constructive role in safeguarding regional and global peace and stability."