With the opening of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2025), China has made its presence known at the event taking place from May 20 to 24 in Malaysia. Through CATIC, the Asian giant is promoting some of its most advanced combat aircraft in the country, including the Chengdu J-10CE and even the stealth fighter J-35, in response to the operational requirements of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
Thanks to strong economic and strategic ties between the two countries, Beijing is participating in LIMA 2025, seeking to expand its diplomatic relations into a new area not yet explored: the provision of military equipment.
Currently, the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s main air superiority platform is the Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighters, acquired from Russia. However, the country is undergoing a prolonged process of analyzing and evaluating proposals to incorporate a new combat aircraft.
The delay in this process has even led to the evaluation of temporary “stop-gap” solutions to maintain combat capabilities in the coming years. One of the candidates under consideration for this role is the potential acquisition of F/A-18C/D Hornets from the Kuwaiti Air Force—an operation that would, of course, require authorization from the United States government.
While American and European options have been mentioned among the candidates for Malaysia’s multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) program, China’s presence at LIMA 2025 suggests that the country is also seeking to propose some of its most advanced fighters currently in service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), as well as others that have recently seen combat.
This includes the J-10CE showcased at the exhibition—the export version of the PLAAF’s J-10C—currently in service with the Pakistan Air Force and reportedly having a successful recent combat debut against Indian Air Force Rafale jets.
Notably, attention has also been drawn to the presence of the FC-31, or J-35, among the proposals presented by China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC). Although still under development and in the flight testing phase, the new fifth-generation fighter jet, developed by Shenyang for China’s Air Force and Navy, could also be offered to third countries aiming to bolster their combat fleets with a new stealth fighter. This would represent a clear challenge to Lockheed Martin’s F-35, the only such aircraft currently available on the export market and only to select U.S. allies.
*Photographs used for illustrative purposes – credits as applicable.
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