An unmarked J-10CE bearing the serial number 1020 has been photographed undergoing testing at Chengdu, a development Quwa Pro says has the Uzbek Air Force pegged as the likely customer.
J-10CE flight trials at Chengdu (serial 1020)
Photographs of an unmarked J-10CE with serial number 1020 conducting tests at Chengdu are the proximate evidence cited for renewed export activity around the type. Quwa Pro reports those images alongside the assertion that Uzbekistan is the prospective buyer associated with the airframe.
Uzbekistan's reported 24-aircraft purchase
Quwa Pro describes a reported order of 24 J-10CEs for the Uzbek Air Force. If that reported purchase is confirmed, the outlet notes, Uzbekistan would become the second foreign operator of the J-10CE model.
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End the scramblePakistan Air Force precedent and the 2025 conflict
The report places the Uzbek prospect in context by pointing to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as the first export customer. According to Quwa Pro, the PAF inducted 20 J-10CEs and employed them during a recent conflict with India in May 2025; the PAF has reported that its J-10CEs shot down several Indian Air Force aircraft during that engagement. Quwa Pro links a surge in contract activity for the J-10CE to the aftermath of that conflict.
Indonesia, Bangladesh, and AVIC's market push
Beyond Uzbekistan, Quwa Pro says Indonesia and Bangladesh are active potential buyers. Jakarta is reported to be reviewing Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) proposals for 42 aircraft, while Dhaka is planning to initiate talks with Beijing for 24 aircraft. The report underscores that AVIC had been working toward market growth for the platform prior to 2025, even as contracts accelerated after the Indo-Pak fighting.
Production and the PLAAF procurement decision
Quwa Pro notes an important production dynamic: the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is no longer procuring the J-10C. As a result, the outlet states, each unit built at Chengdu is effectively intended for export and marketed as the J-10CE variant.
What this means for AVIC, the Uzbek Air Force, and the Pakistan Air Force
- AVIC: A confirmation of a 24-unit Uzbek order would reinforce Quwa Pro’s observation that AVIC shifted from market-building to a more visible export cadence after 2025, with Chengdu production increasingly dedicated to export customers.
- Uzbek Air Force: If the reported purchase proceeds, the Uzbek Air Force would join a growing list of foreign operators of the J-10CE, acquiring aircraft that Quwa Pro says were being field-tested at Chengdu under serial 1020.
- Pakistan Air Force: The PAF’s earlier induction of 20 J-10CEs and reported combat use in May 2025 is the precedent Quwa Pro identifies as a driving factor in subsequent contract activity for the type.
The imagery of serial 1020 at Chengdu, combined with Quwa Pro’s reporting of parallel procurement moves in Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, frames a clear commercial pattern: Chengdu-built J-10 airframes are increasingly destined for export customers under the J-10CE label. The reported Uzbek order, if formalized, would convert that pattern into a concrete second foreign operator following Pakistan’s induction and combat employment in May 2025. Questions that remain in the public record include formal contract confirmations and delivery timelines; until those appear, the photographs and the reported procurement intentions are the chief public indicators of where the Chengdu production line is directed.
