This seems to be the first time a picture of single-engine PLA-Airforce jet J-10 with what appears to be PL-15 BVRAAMs. The picture shows that the Chinese have managed to load on the dual racks onto J-10C a long time ago. But pairing two very long-range missiles with a dual rack is a very interesting find. The picture was probably taken from another aircraft, rather than on the ground like all previous images we know.
The PL-15 is an active radar-guided very long-range air-to-air missile developed by the People’s Republic of China. The PL-15 entered military service in 2016 and is carried by the Chengdu J-10C, Shenyang J-16, and the Chengdu J-20, aircraft.
The PL-15 (Chinese: 霹雳-15; pinyin: Pī Lì-15; lit.: ‘Thunderbolt-15’) is an active radar-guided very long-range air-to-air missile developed by the People’s Republic of China.
The PL-15 entered military service in 2016 and is carried by the Chengdu J-10C, Shenyang J-16, and the Chengdu J-20, aircraft.
The missile features an active electronically scanned array radar and has a range exceeding 200 km – comparable to that of the Russian R-37 missile. It is 4 meters long and incorporates a dual-thrust rocket motor, capable of a speed of Mach 4.
Photos show that it has also been fitted to the newest version of the J-11B fighter upgraded with AESA radar.
A reported PL-15 missile with a range of over 400 km carried by a J-16 fighter may actually be the PL-21 missile.
The Chengdu J-10, is a single-engine, lightweight multirole fighter aircraft capable of all-weather operation, configured with a delta wing and canard design, with fly-by-wire flight controls, and produced by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
In Comparison
Compared to the previous generation PL-12, the new and larger PL-15 has a longer radar detection range, increased anti-jamming capability, and around twice the range. During the 2018 Airshow China, two J-20 fighters of the PLAAF displayed their internal payload bays, with each carrying four PL-15 and two PL-10E short-range missiles. The PL-15 effectively increases Chinese anti-access/area denial capability by targeting key “enabler” targets, such as aerial refueling and AEW&C aircraft.
Military expert Fu Qianshao suggested that China was developing an advanced long-range air-to-air missile capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 400 km.
Sources: Wikipedia, Twitter (RickJoe)
