Pak confirms use of Chinese PL-15 missile after India struck its terror camps

India Today

09-05-2025

The Pakistan Air Force on Friday admitted to using a Chinese PL-15 missile on Wednesday after India smashed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).This admission marks the first confirmed operational use of the PL-15 missile by any country, as the Chinese missile has not previously been tested in combat.The PL-15 is a radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile with an estimated range exceeding 200 kilometres, and is considered a significant threat to enemy aircraft.advertisement
The Pakistan Air Force's admission also validates the speculation that the missile debris recovered in Punjab's Hoshiarpur and Bathinda districts after Thursday's attempted attack likely belonged to a PL-15. India's robust air defence systems intercepted the missile mid-air.The PL-15, known for its beyond-visual-range capabilities and considered comparable to India's DRDO-developed Astra air-to-air missile, was recently supplied to Pakistan by China, Islamabad's close ally and biggest supplier of military equipment."That's a PL-15, a very long-range Chinese missile. It's rarely been seen in public. It has possibly been fired for the first time, and I can confirm that our scientists are looking at it very closely, they're examining its characteristics," Defence Analyst Sandeep Unnithan pointed out, speaking to India Today TV."This is a missile that has literally emerged from behind the bamboo curtain, and it has been supplied to Pakistan very recently, as tensions began ratcheting up," he said.advertisementAccording to Unnithan, Indian scientists are studying the characteristics of this weapon to try and understand its characteristics and how it matches against the Astra missile."Chinese secrets are out in the open, and I can very well see the PL-15 being at the top of the agenda in the next round of India-US defence talks. The United States would want to examine these missiles, because, let's not forget, these are the kinds of missiles the US would face if a conflict were to break out,' he argued.The PL-15's range and performance have been a focus of interest for defence experts across the globe for years. A defence industry executive, who spoke to news agency Reuters about global militaries studying the India-Pakistan fighter jet battle, commented, 'The PL-15 is a big problem'. 'It is something that the US military pays a lot of attention to'.The United States is reportedly developing an AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile in response to the PL-15 and its beyond-visual-range performance.Tune InTrending Reel
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