Latest news with #PL15E
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's robot-made missiles, new bacteria strain found on Tiangong: 7 science highlights
We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing China's state broadcaster has re-released footage from last year of a cutting-edge robotic production line for its advanced PL-15E air-to-air missiles, hours after Pakistan claimed that it used the Chinese-made weapon to shoot down five Indian fighter jets. Pakistan integrated Awacs aircraft into its air combat system. Photo: AFP An advanced 'ABC' data sharing system made all the difference in Pakistan's hostilities against Indian forces last week, upending combat conventions, according to a Chinese defence industry newspaper. In a report, China Space News said the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) deployed a 'locked by A, launched by B, guided by C' combat system, integrating ground radars with fighter jets, and airborne warning aircraft.
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's PL-15 missiles face first combat test in Kashmir conflict
Almost a decade has passed since the People's Liberation Army pulled the trigger on President Xi Jinping's plans for a massive overhaul of the world's biggest military. In the eighth of a series on Chinese weapons systems, we look at the country's advanced air-to-air missile. It was not until the combat debut of the PL-15E during a skirmish between Pakistan and India last week that the capabilities of the Chinese-made air-to-air missile were truly put to the test – after years of speculation by observers abroad. For decades, Chinese-made air-to-air missiles were believed to be imitations of Western designs. But the recent deployment of the PL-15E by the Pakistan Air Force serves as a fresh reminder that the capabilities of China's air-to-air missile systems – alongside a growing fleet of advanced fighter aircraft – can no longer be ignored. The deployment of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) advanced air-to-air missiles, including the domestic version of the PL-15 commissioned since the mid-2010s, carries broader implications – not only for regional security in the Asia-Pacific, but also for any future Taiwan contingency. It has also sparked discussions about the potential expansion of air-to-air missile exports as Beijing grows more ambitious in challenging the Western-dominated global arms market. Combat debut and profile
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China's PL-15E missiles
China's state broadcaster has re-released footage from last year of a cutting-edge robotic production line for its advanced PL-15E air-to-air missiles, hours after Pakistan claimed that it used the Chinese-made weapon to shoot down five Indian fighter jets. Advertisement CCTV first broadcast the footage in July last year. Its re-release on Thursday was interpreted on Chinese social media as an indication that the missile production line had achieved low cost and high capacity, possibly signalling an intent to expand Chinese military sales. The footage was part of a video package highlighting the PL-15E – an export version of the PL-15 air-to-air missile designed for long-range engagements – and showed robotic arms seamlessly executing tasks like component installation, welding, and quality checks. Experts featured in the video said that China's shift to 'intelligent manufacturing' enabled 24-hour unmanned production, with systems that can adapt to diverse missile variants to speed up production and cut costs. 'Our flexible production line at the China Airborne Missile Academy enables automated component identification, installation, welding, and quality inspection. Its assembly process is fully automated,' Yao Changhong, director of the electric equipment branch at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), said. Advertisement 'Once the materials are ready and the software is set, the process runs automatically without the need for human intervention,' she added. The flexible production line allows for compatibility with various products, switching production capacity based on need, and supports small-batch, multi-variety manufacturing, according to the video.
