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07-05-2025
- Politics
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China's PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Appears To Have Been Used In Combat For The First Time
The air war currently unfolding between India and Pakistan is exceedingly murky, but one aspect that seems almost certain is the use of the Chinese-made PL-15 active-radar-guided air-to-air missile (AAM) by Pakistan. So far, Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft, and there are multiple accounts, including from Indian officials, pointing to the crash of at least two aircraft, without specifying the reasons. Meanwhile, a French official has reportedly confirmed the loss of one of the Indian Air Force's prized Rafale multirole fighters. Regardless, the fighting between the two nuclear-armed states is the most intense for decades, now with the growing risk of the situation spiraling further. So 1st Use of PL-15 Very Long Range Air to Air Missile by PAF. — International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) May 7, 2025 Imagery showing the apparent wreckage of a PL-15 missile began circulating on social media today. Reportedly, the missile parts fell in Hoshiarpur district, in the northeast of the Indian state of Punjab. In particular, a portion of the missile body, from immediately behind the radome, can be identified. This carries a serial number and a small door marked as a seeker test port, as seen at the top of this story. Another image purports to show the missile seeker from the PL-15, which uses active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology, with active and passive modes, and which is said to provide better resistance to countermeasures than previous Chinese AAMs. Didn't think I'd ever see a PL-15(E)'s AESA without going to a vault lol Good to know my guess was right — John Ridge ���� ���� ���� (@John_A_Ridge) May 7, 2025 While the identity of the weapon can't be verified beyond doubt at this point, a PL-15 seems most likely. Whether the missile in question successfully brought down a target is unclear. Whatever the case, Pakistan's use of the missile is a significant development; this seems to be the first confirmed use of the weapon in an operational context. As you can read about in our in-depth story on Chinese air-to-air missiles, the PL-15 is China's standard active-radar-guided AAM, and it was intended to at least match the performance of the U.S.-made AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). From the start, this missile was tailored for internal carriage, initially in the J-20 stealth fighter, and features distinctive cropped fins to reduce its dimensions. A further version, even better optimized for internal carriage, has since appeared, as you can read about here. A Chinese J-10C with an air-to-air load-out comprising PL-15 (inboard) and PL-10 (outboard) AAMs. via Chinese internet The basic PL-15 has a dual-pulse rocket motor that provides a reported range of 124 miles. Another important feature is a two-way datalink that allows the launching aircraft to provide guidance updates to the missile and the missile to provide its own information to the launching aircraft. The potent PL-15 missile prompted the United States, among others, to start the development of new air-to-air weapons specifically designed to outrange them. In the meantime, the PL-15 is now replacing the older PL-12 across China's fighter fleet and is also offered for export under the PL-15E name. Published performance figures for the PL-15E include a range of 90 miles, somewhat less than for the domestic version, which could be the result of a different propellant or changes to the motor. In Pakistan Air Force service, the PL-15E arms the JF-17 Block III fighter as well as the J-10C, for which Pakistan became the first export customer, with initial deliveries in 2022. Pakistan Air Force J-10C fighter jets perform at a rehearsal ahead of Pakistan's national day parade in Islamabad on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images) AAMIR QURESHI China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation's stock surged about 20% after the Pakistan Air Force reportedly downed five Indian jets, including three Rafales. Chengdu produces JF-17 and J-10C fighter jets, both in service with Pakistan Air Force. — Clash Report (@clashreport) May 7, 2025 India has a counterpart to the PL-15 in the MBDA Meteor beyond-viual-range missile (BVRAAM), a ramjet-powered weapon that may well offer advantages over the Chinese missile. While Western analysts determine that the PL-15 has a comparable maximum range to the Meteor, the pan-European missile likely has a much larger no-escape zone and better long-range kill probability thanks to its ramjet motor. Regardless of what the PL-15 was fired at, and whether it successfully engaged its target, Pakistan has posted a flurry of claims of Indian Air Force aircraft shot down. A report in The New York Times cites three officials, local news reports, and accounts of witnesses, who said that 'at least two aircraft' went down in India and the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir. NYT: "One Indian official confirmed the crash of three aircraft, but cautioned that the reasons were not clear. Two other Indian security officials confirmed reports that some Indian aircraft had gone down, but would not elaborate on the details" — Shashank Joshi (@shashj) May 7, 2025 Various unverified imagery has been posted to social media purporting to show the wreckage of Indian Air Force fighters shot down or otherwise lost in combat. With so much propaganda circulating and information operations ongoing, all open-source imagery has to be taken as unconfirmed. One of these shows an engine that appears to be from a French-made combat jet, initially identified as either an Indian Air Force Rafale or Mirage 2000, although certain details of the nozzle seemed to point more strongly toward the first option. There's a good chance that an Indian Rafale ate a PL-15 last night — Doha (@Doha104p3) May 7, 2025 Usually I don't wade into this, but this additional angle of the mystery engine does look like it has a distinctive pattern of screws on nozzles (pic 1), consistent with M88 which powers Rafale (pic 2), rather than M53 which powers Mirage 2000 (pic 3) Hmm — Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) May 7, 2025 Subsequently, a photo began to circulate that purports to show parts of a Rafale's tailfin and rudder lying in a field, said to be in Bathinda, Punjab. The wreckage bears the serial number BS-001, which would identify it as a single-seat Rafale EH. CONFIRMED: One of the three Indian Rafale jets Pakistan claimed to have downed is now confirmed. Wreckage bearing serial number BS-001 was found in Bathinda, verifying the Pakistani claim. This was India's first Dassault Rafale EH fighter jet. — Clash Report (@clashreport) May 7, 2025 An Indian Air Force single-seat Rafale EH multirole fighter. Indian Air Force A video apparently taken by locals in the village of Aklian Kalan, Punjab, shows what seems to be the remains of an MBDA MICA air-to-air missile, as well as its associated missile launch rail. The MICA is a weapon associated with both the Rafale and the Mirage 2000, although Aklian Kalan is notably only around 12 miles from Bathinda Air Force Station, home to Indian Rafales. Likely looking at a loss of an Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 with a MICA (not sure what variant) AAM still in the rail — Doha (@Doha104p3) May 7, 2025 Since this imagery began to circulate, an unnamed French official confirmed to CNN that an Indian Air Force Rafale was brought down by Pakistan, but provided no details of exactly what brought it down. New: A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan, in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat. Pakistan claimed earlier… — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) May 7, 2025 Other imagery claims to show the wreckage of an Indian MiG-29 Fulcrum or Su-30MKI Flanker fighter, based on the Russian-made K-36DM ejection seat that's visible. This aircraft is said to have come down in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Previously, Reuters had reported that an Indian combat jet 'crashed' for unspecified reasons somewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, and that its pilot was injured and taken to a hospital. A single pilot, if true, would point toward a MiG-29 rather than the two-seat Su-30. Exclusive images of IAF jet which fell in ramban, pilot failed to eject it seems so from ejection seat pics @alpha_defense @sneheshphilip @VishnuNDTV @alpha_defense @ — swiftretort (@swiftretort1) May 7, 2025 K-36DM ejection seat of the downed Indian MiG-29 — 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ �� ���� ���� �� ���� (@TheDeadDistrict) May 7, 2025 All of these developments, as well as the surrounding claims and counter-claims, point to the confusion that is very typical when dealing with the heat of combat. With that in mind, it remains possible that at least some of these apparent losses were accidents, or perhaps blue-on-blue incidents. The involvement of surface-to-air missiles also shouldn't be ruled out at this stage. And while the loss of a Rafale, especially to a Chinese-designed fighter, if confirmed, would be a huge propaganda win for Pakistan and, to some degree, China, the reality is that modern air combat is far more than a simple fighter-versus-fighter affair. In the long run, other aspects, including training, munitions, networking, airborne early warning, electronic warfare, tactics, and much more, will play into successes and failures. With that in mind, even the combat loss of a Rafale doesn't make that aircraft a dud, which is good news for the Indian Navy, too, this service having recently had an order for the carrier-based version of the fighter signed off. In other developments, the office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country's armed forces have been authorized to undertake 'corresponding actions' after India's strikes on Wednesday night. For its part, India said that its Operation Sindoor hit nine targets that it described as 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan and on Pakistan's side of the disputed Kashmir region. Indian military spokespersons said that the targets belonged to two Islamist militant groups: Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a briefing that 'Intelligence and monitoring of Pakistan-based terror modules showed that further attacks against India were impending, therefore it was necessary to take pre-emptive and precautionary strikes.' A map centered on Pahalgam offering a general overview of the disputed Kashmir region. Indian strikes on Wednesday night targeted Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir, as well as adjacent areas in Pakistan proper. Google Maps Pakistan said that six locations on its territory were targeted, but claimed that none of them were militant camps. A Pakistan military spokesperson said that at least 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured in the strikes. In a statement, JeM said that 10 relatives of its leader Masood Azhar were killed in an Indian strike. Indian police and medics claim that at least seven civilians have been killed and 30 others injured by retaliatory Pakistani firing and shelling overnight. �� Geolocations of ALL sites that the Indian Army has claimed to have hit in Pakistan and Kashmir. 1. Masjid Syedna Bilal/Hazrat Bilal 34.385846°N 73.456974°E It appears to have been a direct hit, according to after-strike ground — Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) May 7, 2025 Based on imagery that has emerged on social media, India appears to have used a version of its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in at least some of these strikes, alongside attacks by Indian Air Force fighters. Also known by the designation PJ-10, this ramjet-powered weapon was developed and manufactured as a collaborative effort between India and Russia. The BrahMos is available in ground-launched, air-launched, sub-launched, and ship-launched versions, and the missile has a reported range of between 300-500 kilometers (186-311 miles). It would appear India used Brahmos SSM to strike bhawalpur, as a Brahmos Booster was found in Rajasthan. CK-310 (Russian Designation for Brahmos) is written in first image. For comparison see Img 3 and 4 — Farooq Bhai (@FarooqB90714421) May 7, 2025 The unidentified missile debris that fell inside Indian territory appears, based on the Russian markings on it, to be a Russian-made surface-to-air missile. — 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) May 7, 2025 The Indian government has said its latest strikes were retaliation for the terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians in Kashmir last month. This is a developing story. We will update it as more news comes in. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
China's J-36 Tailless Stealth Fighter Seen Flying For Second Time
The largest of China's two new tailless stealth fighters has flown again. This is just the second time we have evidence of it in the air, the first coming on December 26th, presumably during its inaugural flight. That day Beijing's two new and previously never seen before heavy fighter designs were photographed and recorded in the sky. You can read our highly detailed analysis of both of those aircraft in this special feature. The latest test flight imagery offers new views of the massive tactical jet. The CAC J-36 has made its second test flight. This time, it flew solo no chase plane accompanying China's 6th generation fighter jet.#J36 #China #StealthFighter — International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) March 17, 2025 The CAC J-36 has made its second test flight. This time, it flew solo no chase plane accompanying China's 6th generation fighter jet.#J36 #China #StealthFighter — International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) March 17, 2025 The aircraft seen today has been unofficially dubbed the 'J-36.' Built by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, it was first spotted flying out of the company's plant in its namesake city. After reviewing satellite imagery from Planet Labs, it's clear that a shelter capable of containing the aircraft's large wingspan was erected on the flight test line between November and December of last year. This allows the aircraft to be prepared for flight and final checks performed with minimal time exposed to onlookers and satellites above. It also keeps the jet out of the weather, which will be important for continued testing. The new shelter is part of a line of 10 smaller ones that are used to accommodate existing fighter aircraft, such as the J-10s and J-20s that are manufactured at the plant. A very similar structure that includes an access-controlled barrier around it, presumably to block line-of-sight and to restrict access, was constructed on the airfield's primary apron in August. The prototype aircraft would likely live here for servicing with it being moved to the other shelter prior to test sorties. As far as the video and images we are seeing today, two views are of note, at least so far. We also just have to add the disclaimer that it's always possible that images that emerge online can be altered or faked, especially when it comes to Chinese military hardware. While that's a possibility, these images look legit and line up with similar ones we saw from the jet's first test flight. First off, there is the side view seen below, which gives us a bit better look at the dorsal inlet and canopy. These are two unique features on the type. The canopy is very much streamlined with the top mold line of the forward fuselage. The idea that this aircraft leverages a side-by-side crew seating concept remains strong, especially given its very broad nose section. We also get more evidence that the dorsal intake uses a diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) design, with the prominent hump and forward-raked upper area seen in this profile shot. Second, we got the shot below of the J-36 in triple reheat during terminal operations (going around or taking off). This is an impressive and unique sight as the jet's three-engine layout is certainly exotic by tactical jet standards. The J-36's large twin split ruddervons on each wing are also seen in this image. You can read all about these features and much more in our original very in-depth analysis of the J-36 and China's other next-generation fighter offering linked here. Just as with pretty much all new Chinese military hardware of great interest, the quality and quantity of 'candid' images of them undergoing testing will ramp up as trials commence. So we should see much more of the J-36, and in the process, we should be able to answer additional lingering questions about the enigmatic jet. Contact the author: Tyler@
