Zhang Heng

Force in Play

Identified on Chinese state TV as having been at a Pakistani support base during Operation Sindoor

For a year, Beijing said it was not on the battlefield. On May 8, 2026, China's state broadcaster aired interviews with two engineers from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). They said they had been stationed at Pakistani airbases during the four-day clash with India in May 2025, working alongside Pakistan Air Force crews flying Chinese-built J-10CE fighters.

Updated May 31