The recent escalation between Pakistan and India, which led both nuclear weapons neighbors to the edge of large -scale war, marked a significant change in the nature of the war between the two countries.
For the first time, Rafale combat aircraft of 4.5 French manufacturing generos operated by India were demolished in combat.
Unlike the previous conflicts, Pakistan did not depend on the weapons supplied by the United States, while India has increasingly changed Russian weapons to teams obtained from Western countries.
Development is considered not only as a commitment of Pakistan-India, but as a test of representation of the real world of Chinese military technology versus Western military technology, potentially promoting a new competition in the global weapons market and attracting the diplomatic attention of Paris, Washington and the states aligned by NATO.
Several analysts have highlighted the commitments of the Air Force, and some point to the possible role of the AIR-AIRE PL-15 missiles supplied by China, perhaps they are the manufacturers of the difference.
Shared images on social networks show a section of the missile fuselage with visible serial brands and a Seeker test port. Another image seems to show the head of the missile search engine, equipped with an active electronically scanned matrix radar (AESA), known for improving monitoring and jam resistance.
Air-To-Air PL-15 missile
The PL-15, developed by the Chinese Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), is a radar-guided missile designed to involve high-value aerial targets in ranges exceeding 200 kilometers.
PL-15 is the standard AM guided by China Active Radar, and was intended to match at least the performance of the advanced AIM-120d range missile performed by the USA. UU. (AMRAAM).
Screen capture
It is reported that its export version, the PL-15E, has a maximum range of 145 kilometers and is integrated with the JF-17 Block III and J-10CE fighters of Pakistan.
The domestic version in use of the Chinese army has a range reported between 300 and 500 kilometers.
Combat Theater from South Asia
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) released images on April 26 that showed JF-17 armed with PL-15E and PL-10 missiles. The Pakistan fleet includes an estimated block of 45–50 JF-17 Block III and 20 J-10ces, approximately 70 airplanes capable of displaying the PL-15E.
The missile orientation system includes inertial navigation, Beidou satellite updates, a bidirectional data link and the Aesa radar terminal reference.
It has a double pulse solid rocket engine and can reach speeds higher than Mach 5. The eye, typically fragmentation of high explosive, weighs between 20 and 25 kilograms.
The weapon may have been obtained directly from the Air Force of the Popular Liberation Army of China (Plaaf), a claim not verified independently.
The Indian Air Force, meanwhile, is based on raphales equipped with meteorine missiles, SU-30MKI with R-77 and S-400 SAM systems. The range of PL-15 can allow Pakistani combatants to launch from beyond the compromise envelopes of India.
While Pakistan officially confirmed the use of Chinese J-10c combat aircraft from Chengdu in the fall of Indian raphales, has not specified the ammunition used.
However, the fragments of a PL-15 missile recovered from a field near Hoshiarpur in the Punjab state in India, which potentially marked the first known use of the Chinese missile in active combat.
Development occurs after two US officials said Reuters That a Pakistani combat plane made by the Chinese was responsible for demolishing at least two Indian military aircraft, underlining an important operational milestone for Beijing’s advanced combat systems.
A senior French intelligence official also confirmed to CNN that at least one IF Dassault Rafale Jet had been shot down during skirmish with the Pakistan Air Force.
The discovery of debris adds pressure to the Regional Air Defense Planning and underlines the changing dynamics in the landscape of weapons of South Asia. The diversified acquisition of India contrasts with the increasingly centralized dependence of Pakistan in Chinese systems.
Chinese state media have highlighted PL-15E exports preparation and advanced production lines. The presence of the system in an active conflict can provide China operational feedback and expand its influence on the global arms market. Neither China nor Pakistan have commented on the appearance of the missile.
The deployment of the PL-15 Missile of Chinese manufacture in southern Asia presents a direct technological counter to Western systems such as the AIM-120D AMRAAM and the Meteorites missile of France.
Although the meteorite is widely considered as superior in terms of areas without escapes and propulsion sustained through Ramjet, the longest range and the Advanced AESA guide of the PL-15 give it a strategic advantage in first launch scenarios, particularly when they shoot from separation ranges.
