Latest news with #PL15
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
India confirms Chinese missiles used by Pakistan in strikes
India has confirmed Pakistan used Chinese-made missiles during the recent cross-border military strikes. Air Marshal AK Bharti, India's director general air operations, said Indian forces had intercepted and neutralised a range of hi-tech foreign weapons used by Pakistan, including the Chinese-origin PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile and Turkish Byker YIHA III Kamikaze drones. 'You can see the pieces of it on the screen,' AM Bharti said during a media briefing, pointing to the debris of a PL-15 missile recovered from a field in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, bordering Pakistan in northern India. Pakistan claims it shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Rafales. A French intelligence source told CNN that a Rafale jet had indeed been downed during exchanges of fire. Delhi sidestepped a question on whether it had lost jets, saying instead that all its pilots were safe. The PL-15, developed by China 's Aviation Industry Corporation, is designed to strike high-value airborne targets at ranges exceeding 200km. In public, Beijing has so far struck a diplomatic tone on the crisis between two South Asian neighbours that were brought back from an all-out-war through back-channel talks. But in private, a Chinese delegation travelled to the Pakistani foreign ministry in the middle of the night to celebrate the success of the missile strikes. India's decision to name China in the recent crisis signals growing alarm in New Delhi over deepening military cooperation between the arch rivals. The Pakistani and Chinese militaries are hosting joint exercises and sharing common weapon platforms. The Chinese are also sharing their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities with Pakistan. Officers are embedded in the military commands of each other's nations, such as Pakistani officers placed in China's Central Military Commission and Western Theatre Command at Chengdu, which oversees the operational frontier with India. The PL-15 missile, which has never before been used in combat, is powered by a dual-pulse motor that propels it to hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5. 'Because they are very, very fast, they basically have what you call a 'no-escape zone',' said Fabian Hoffmann, a missile technology researcher and fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis. The confirmation comes just days after Pakistan's army published a YouTube video showcasing its military arsenal, including a Chinese-made JF-17 Block 3 fighter jet, less advanced than the J-10C, equipped with PL-15 missiles. The combination offers 'potent punch', a caption reads. Analysts believe one of these missiles may have been used to shoot down a Rafale fighter deep inside Indian territory in a long-range 'stand-off' engagement in which neither side crossed the border. The wreckage of a Rafale was reportedly found near Bathinda in Punjab in northern India. The apparent involvement of Chinese aircraft in shooting down a Rafale has ricocheted through defence circles – and sent stock in its maker, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, surging by as much as 20 per cent. Until now, Chinese weaponry had not been field-tested against Western-made systems like the Rafale. The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of 36 Rafale F3Rs, the most advanced model of the aircraft. Hu Jixin, the former editor of the Chinese state-owned Global Times, said the battle showed 'China's level of military manufacturing has completely surpassed that of Russia and France', adding that Taiwan should feel 'even more scared'.
Malay Mail
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
India-Pakistan air clash puts Chinese weapons to the test — and the world is watching
A Pakistani J-10 fighter jet reportedly downed at least two Indian aircraft in a rare live air-to-air combat Global military analysts are closely watching the event to assess the real-world performance of Chinese PL-15 and European Meteor The incident highlights rising international interest in advanced air combat capabilities, especially amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. WASHINGTON, May 10 — A dogfight between Chinese-made Pakistani jets and French-made Indian Rafale fighters will be closely scrutinised by militaries seeking insights that could offer an edge in future conflicts. A Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two US officials told Reuters, marking a potential major milestone for Beijing's advanced fighter jet. The aerial clash is a rare opportunity for militaries to study the performance of pilots, fighter jets and air-to-air missiles in active combat, and use that knowledge to prepare their own air forces for battle. Experts said the live use of advanced weapons would be analysed across the world, including in China and the United States, which are both preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan or in the wider Indo-Pacific region. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets. Social media posts focused on the performance of China's PL-15 air-to-air missile against the Meteor, a radar-guided air-to-air missile produced by European group MBDA. There has been no official confirmation these weapons were used. 'Air warfare communities in China, the US and a number of European countries will be extremely interested to try and get as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques, procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn't,' said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 'You have arguably China's most capable weapon against the West's most capable weapon, if indeed it was being carried; we don't know that,' Barrie said. The French and Americans would likely be hoping for similar intelligence from India, Barrie added. 'The PL-15 is a big problem. It is something that the US military pays a lot of attention to,' a defence industry executive said. Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation declined comment and the MBDA consortium could not immediately be reached for comment on a French public holiday. Scant details Western analysts and industry sources said crucial details remained unclear, including whether the Meteor was carried and the type and amount of training the pilots had received. Arms firms would also be anxious to separate technical performance from operational factors, analysts said. 'There will be audits of what works and what doesn't work, but I think the other overlay is the proverbial fog of war,' said Byron Callan, a Washington-based defence expert and managing partner of Capital Alpha Partners. US arms companies are getting constant feedback about how their products are working in the war in Ukraine, he said. 'So I absolutely expect the same to be the case with India's European suppliers, and Pakistan and China are probably sharing the same feedback. If the PL-15 is working as advertised or better than expected, the Chinese would like to hear that.' A Rafale M takes part in a practice session for a simulated landing on an aircraft carrier in Saint-Servais, Brittany, France, May 7, 2025.— Reuters pic A defence industry source from a Western country operating the Meteor said an online picture of a seeker appeared to feature the component of a missile that had missed its target. There are conflicting reports on whether Pakistan has the domestic version of the PL-15 from the PLAAF, China's air force, or the lower-range export version publicly unveiled in 2021. Barrie, who has written extensively on the missile, said he believed that Pakistan most likely has the export version. A Western industry source dismissed claims that the rocket-powered PL-15 had longer range than the air-breathing Meteor but acknowledged that its capability 'may be greater than was thought.' The Meteor's range has not been officially published. 'At the moment it's not possible to judge anything. We know so little,' the industry source said. The PL-15's range and performance have been a focus of Western interest for years. Its emergence was seen as one of many signals that China had moved well beyond reliance on Soviet-era derivative technology. The United States is developing the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile via Lockheed Martin partly in response to the PL-15 and its beyond-visual-range performance – part of a broader reset of Western priorities toward China. European nations are exploring a mid-life upgrade for Meteor, which specialist publication Janes says could involve propulsion and guidance, but analysts say progress has been slow. US President Donald Trump in March awarded Boeing the contract to build the US Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet yet, which would likely include stealth, advanced sensors and cutting-edge engines. — Reuters
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
India-Pakistan clash to give insights on performance of Chinese jets, European arms
A dogfight between Chinese-made Pakistani jets and French-made Indian Rafale fighters will be closely scrutinised by militaries seeking insights that could offer an edge in future conflicts. Advertisement A Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two US officials said, marking a potential major milestone for Beijing's advanced fighter jet. The aerial clash is a rare opportunity for militaries to study the performance of pilots, fighter jets and air-to-air missiles in active combat, and use that knowledge to prepare their own air forces for battle. Experts said the live use of advanced weapons would be analysed across the world, including in mainland China and the United States which are both preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan or in the wider Indo-Pacific region. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets. Advertisement Social media posts focused on the performance of China's PL-15 air-to-air missile against the Meteor, a radar-guided air-to-air missile produced by European group MBDA. There has been no official confirmation these weapons were used.
