BEIJING: China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Co., the manufacturer of fighter jets that gained international fame due to their involvement in the recent India-Pakistan war, has announced record profits for 2025. Additionally, sales in the first quarter almost doubled, according to Bloomberg.
As the manufacturer of the J-10 fighters, AVIC Chengdu announced its revenue from the sale of fighter jets rose by 15.8 percent in 2025, reaching 75.4 billion yuan ($11 billion). Its profits grew 6.5 percent and reached 3.4 billion yuan, which is the highest level of earning in the history of the Chengdu company. Moreover, the company reported that first-quarter sales grew almost by 80 percent compared to last year.
J-10 fighters, which were put to test during the May 2025 military actions, became famous worldwide after Pakistan declared that it had downed several planes of India, including French-built Rafales. This was probably one of the first cases of testing of high-tech weaponry produced in China under real-life conditions. India confirmed the losses of its aviation equipment but did not specify their number. At the same time, India accused Pakistan of destroying at least six planes, a claim that was dismissed by Islamabad.
The fighter jets manufactured by AVIC Chengdu have drawn attention from developing countries. Nations such as Indonesia, Iraq, and Bangladesh have expressed their desire to buy the JF-17 Thunder, a fighter aircraft jointly developed by AVIC Chengdu and Pakistan. Moreover, Indonesia was interested in purchasing the J-10s.
The parent company of AVIC Chengdu, namely AVIC, is the largest defense contractor in China based on its market capitalization. It stated that the success in 2025 was mainly due to the restructure of the assets, which involved the jet manufacturing company. Additionally, the firm intends to expand its production and produce more aerospace products in Chengdu, southwest of Sichuan.
Shares of AVIC Chengdu increased by 2.0% in Shenzhen on Wednesday, marking the best performance of the company in the past couple of weeks. Growing sales of weaponry have been the main goal of AVIC Chengdu. In the most recent investor conference call, AVIC Chengdu confirmed its plans to strengthen its position in foreign markets.
Along with the success of AVIC Chengdu, AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Co., manufacturer of the fifth-generation J-35 fighter aircraft, has also shown strong results in 2025. The total revenue of AVIC Shenyang reached 44.7 billion yuan, while the profit increased by 3.7% compared to 2024.
Notwithstanding their success, both companies are under US sanctions that did not prevent their growth on the global defense market.
