PL-15

The PL-15 (Chinese: 霹雳-15; pinyin: Pī Lì-15; lit. 'Thunderbolt-15') is an active radar-guided long range air-to-air missile developed by the People's Republic of China.

PL-15
A J-20 with four PL-15 inside the weapons bay.
TypeLong range, air-to-air BVR missile
Place of originPeople's Republic of China.
Service history
In service2017
Production history
Manufacturer607 Air-to-Air Missile Research Institute[1][2]
Specifications
Length399.6cm (PL-15E)
Diameter20.3cm (PL-15E)
EngineDual pulsed solid-propellant rocket[2]
Operational
range
200–300km (PL-15)[1][2][3]
145km (PL-15E)[1]
Maximum speed Mach 4.5[2]
Guidance
system
active radar homing
Launch
platform
J-20, J-10C, J-15, J-16, J-11B, JF-17 Block-3

History

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. It has also been spotted on the Shenyang J-11B.

Design

The missile features an active electronically scanned array radar seeker,[4] and has an alleged range exceeding 200 km – comparable to that of the Russian R-37 missile. It is 4 meters long and incorporates a dual-thrust solid-fuel rocket motor, capable of a speed of Mach 4.[3]

In Zhuhai air show 2021, China unveiled an export variant of PL-15 named PL-15E with a maximum range of 145km. The export version reportedly has less range than the parent version, similar to the situation between SD-10 and its domestic counterpart PL-12.

Variants
PL-15
PLAAF domestic version with alleged range of 200km to 300km.[3][2]
PL-15E
Export version of PL-15.

See also

Similar weapons

References
  1. "PL-15 air-to-air missile". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  2. Chen, Chuanren (20 July 2017). "New Chinese Weapons Seen On J-10C Fighter". Aviation International News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  3. Bonk, Justine (October 2020). "Russian and Chinese Combat Air Trends" (PDF). RUSI Whitehall Report. 3 (20): 36.
  4. Champion, Marc (7 May 2018). "Chinese Missiles Are Transforming the Balance of Power in the Skies". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
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