During the extended aerial exercises “Eagles of Civilization 2025” between China and Egypt, Chinese Air Force tankers YU-20/YY-20A conducted refueling operations for Egyptian Air Force MiG-29s. A tactical multi-role helicopter, the Z-20, also participated in the drills, with footage of it appearing in Chinese media.
The exercises involved various tasks, including “suppression of air defense” to gain “air superiority,” which was described as the “foundation of all air and ground operations,” as well as operational interoperability, which was demonstrated by the Y-20 tanker. The Y-20 refueled a MiG-29 fighter, although it remains unclear whether the refueling was a one-off occurrence or a routine practice throughout the exercises.
The exercises also included drills such as formation/flyby flights and “search and rescue on the battlefield.” The culmination of the event was a symbolic flyover of the pyramids in Giza. Media outlets noted that all aircraft flew without munitions, and the scale and variety of aircraft and missions were considered unusual for the first aerial exercises between the two countries.
It’s also worth noting that, aside from the MiG-29s during refueling and some footage of joint flights and ground operations, neither country released any videos directly capturing the aircraft during the exercises.
Some photos show the Z-20 helicopter, as well as six J-10 aircraft and the YU-20/YY-20A tanker during flight to Egypt. Satellites also captured the Chinese early warning and control aircraft KJ-500, but it was not featured in any of the photos. This indicates that the Chinese contingent included nine aircraft in total. In the images, the YU-20 is shown with extended underwing fuel hoses, and some of the J-10s are flying behind it, suggesting that all the J-10s were refueled during the flight over one section.
The Y-20 features a three-point hose refueling system, including two underwing fuel tanks and one centerline tank. The Egyptian Air Force fighters appear to be refueled only from the underwing fuel tanks.
The Z-20, which may have participated in the “search and rescue on the battlefield” mission, was not captured in the photos that surfaced at the beginning of the exercises.
“These joint exercises marked the first instance in which the People’s Liberation Army Air Force deployed systematic forces to Africa for such training,” Chinese media reported. They highlighted that the air force demonstrated its ability for “long-distance deployment” and “maneuver operations,” as shortly after arrival, they carried out “equipment setup, theoretical briefings, mission planning, and command coordination.”
From a geopolitical standpoint, these exercises mark tectonic diplomatic shifts. Operations such as air dominance, “suppression of enemy systems” to ensure “all air and ground operations \[…] demonstrated a high level of cooperation” between the two air forces and have become “a new starting point and an important milestone in military cooperation.”
Source: theaviationist
