After a recent attack by Israeli and American warplanes, Iran’s air force did not respond at all. It couldn’t stop the attack, and its fighter jets did not even take off. Now, after this incident, Iran plans to buy Chinese Chengdu J-10C fighter jets. Iran’s current air force is old and does not have enough funding.

Iran chose to buy these cheaper Chinese jets because its earlier deal with Russia to buy fighter jets did not work out. The J-10C jets can also use PL-15 missiles, which Pakistan’s air force uses too. According to reports from The Moscow Times and RBC Ukraine, Iran started talks with China to get the J-10C jets after the failed deal with Russia for Su-35 jets.

Earlier, Iran wanted to buy the Russian Su-35, which has two engines, but now it has chosen the Chinese J-10C, which has one engine and is cheaper by about $40–60 million per jet. Russia also had delays in delivering the jets.

Since 2023, Iran was supposed to receive 50 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, but it has only received four so far. Because of this delay and international sanctions, Iran is now looking to buy Chinese J-10C fighter jets. This is the same jet that Pakistan used against India during a short conflict in May.

Why Iran couldn’t buy J-10 jets earlier

Iran has been interested in the J-10 for almost 20 years. In 2015, Iran started talks to buy 150 J-10 jets from China. But the deal failed because China wanted payment in foreign currency, while Iran, facing financial problems, could only offer oil and gas. At that time, there was also a UN arms embargo on Iran, which further blocked the deal.

A Forbes report from May 2025 says Iran is now looking to buy 36 J-10C jets from China. In 2023, after the Hamas attack on Israel, Iran announced a deal with Russia to buy Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters, S-400 air defence systems, and Yak-130 training aircraft. However, according to The Washington Post, Iran only received the Yak-130 trainer jets; none of the other promised equipment arrived.

As of 2025, Iran’s air force has about 150 fighter jets. Most of these are very old American jets bought before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and some Soviet-era jets. These include F-4 Phantoms, F-5E/F Tigers, F-14A Tomcats, and MiG-29s. Many of these jets are outdated and not fully operational, according to a 2025 report by The Military Balance, published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.