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UAE Air Force flies its first Chinese-made Hongdu L-15 jets at Dubai Airshow 2025

At Dubai Airshow 2025, the UAE Air Force’s Al Fursan aerobatic team conducted the first public flight of its new Chinese Hongdu L-15 jet trainers, by performing a full seven-aircraft aerobatic display. The flight signals a complete transition away from the Italian Aermacchi MB-339 after roughly 15 years of service, as part of a deeper UAE-China defense cooperation. The seven aircraft form part of a 12-unit order announced in 2022 and finalized during IDEX 2023, which also includes options for 36 more L-15s. Read full defense news at this link...

Created in the early 2000s, the Hongdu L-15, known in Chinese military service as the JL-10, is a twin-engine advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Hongdu Aviation Industry Group with design input from Russia’s Yakovlev bureau. (Picture source: Al Fursan)



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