J-10C and J-16, the two most advanced three-and-half-generation fighters of China, teamed up again, with the former carrying a rare trio of PL-10, PL-12 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles at the same time. This happened during a heterogeneous aircraft confrontation air combat training conducted by an aviation brigade in the southern theater of China on May 31.
PLA’s official site recently released photos of this confrontation training. And as early as 2015, the People’s Liberation Army Daily disclosed that free air combat confrontation of different types of aircraft has become a universal training of a division of the Southern Air Force. In addition, the “Golden Helmet”, one of the four major military training brands of the Chinese Air Force, also fully introduced heterogeneous aircraft confrontation in the same year, breaking the rule that only the same-type aircraft confrontation was organized in team competitions.
In the pictures, the J-10C carries the PL-10, PL-12 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles at the same time. This “two-medium + two-short” air-optimized mounting combination is very rare. Among them, PL-10 missile is the most advanced fighting ammunition in China, and PL-12 and PL-15 are China’s advanced interceptor missiles.
PL-10’s chief engineer Liang Xiaogeng once said in an interview that the PL-10 guided by infrared imaging has a strong anti-stealth fighter capability. Due to the use of the staring focal plane array guidance method, even the most advanced stealth aircraft at present cannot escape the lock of the missile.
Liang Xiaogeng also pointed out that the maximum angle of attack of the PL-10 missiles has reached the limit of aerodynamic design, and the maximum overload is above 60G. Once the target is locked in sight, it cannot be released by maneuvering. If combined with the advanced helmet sight, it means that the pilot can “hit where he sees” within the range of head movement.
The PL-12 is China’s first self-developed interceptor missile. Its emergence has given the Chinese Air Force the ability to truly possess beyond-horizon air combat and multi-target strikes. In 2004, the PL-12 scored all 12 shots in a pre-set target trial. At the end of 2005, the PL-12 hit both targets in a two-target attack test.
In terms of range, the PL-12 is significantly higher than Russia’s R-77 missile of the same period, reaching 70 kilometers, and the combat altitude has reached 25 kilometers. In terms of guidance, due to the use of active radar and strapdown inertial navigation system, it has the ability to “launch and forget”.
Currently, PL-15’s public data is very limited. It is generally believed that the missile uses an advanced dual-pulse solid rocket motor, coupled with the application of more advanced solid fuel, and has a range far beyond AIM-120C-5/7 used by the U.S. There have been divergent opinions about how far the PL-15 missiles can hit. Some say it is 150 kilometers, and some people believe that it can hit 200 kilometers under high ballistic conditions.
It was reported that the detection range of the PL-15’s missile seeker has been increased from 30 kilometers of the PL-12 to 50 kilometers, and its ability to ” launch and forget” is even higher. With a range advantage, the PL-15 uses a missile-borne two-way data link, which not only has strong anti-interference ability but also facilitates multi-aircraft coordinated attacks, allowing for an “A-guide and B-fire” attack mode.
In any case, the PL-15 is a world-class interceptor missile. Together with the active phased array radars carried by fighters such as the J-20, J-10C, and J-16, it greatly enhances the Chinese air force’s combat capability beyond the visual range.
