PL-15
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The PL-15 ( zh, s=霹雳-15, p=Pī Lì-Yāo Wǔ, l=Thunderbolt-15,
NATO reporting name NATO uses a system of code names, called reporting names, to denote military aircraft and other equipment used by post-Soviet states, former Warsaw Pact countries, China, and other countries. The system assists military communications by providi ...
: CH-AA-10
Abaddon The Hebrew term Abaddon ( , meaning "destruction", "doom") and its Greek equivalent Apollyon (, ''Apollúōn'' meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of destruction and an angel of the abyss. In the Hebrew Bible, ''abaddon'' ...
) is an active radar-guided long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, used by the
People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...
(PLAAF) and Naval Air Force (PLANAF), and the
Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
. It can reach speeds of up to Mach 5 and has a maximum range of about 300 km, though the PL-15E export version that is sold to Pakistan is reported to have a reduced range of about 145 km. It is the primary beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile carried by PLA fixed-wing combat aircraft. Its within-visual-range counterpart is the PL-10.


Development

The PL-15 is developed by
Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
-based China Airborne Missile Academy (CAMA). The missile was test fired in 2011 and referenced by Chinese state media in 2015. It was spotted in 2013 mounted on a prototype of
Chengdu J-20 The Chengdu J-20 (), also known as Mighty Dragon (, NATO reporting name: Fagin), is a twinjet, twin-engine Night fighter, all-weather Stealth aircraft, stealth fighter developed by China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the People's Liberatio ...
. The PL-15E, the export variant, was presented at the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow. The PL-15E has less range than the PL-15, possibly due to changes in propellant or rocket motor. This is similar to the situation between SD-10 and its domestic counterpart the PL-12. There were constant rumors about a variant or derivative of the PL-15 designed for compressed carriage. In 2020, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reported the development of the PL-16 missile, a thinner version of the PL-15, to allow J-20 to carry six missiles inside its internal carriage. In January 2024, the PL-16 missile was confirmed to have a smaller airframe design with folded fins and a high-performance dual-pulse motor to maintain a performance level similar to the regular PL-15. At the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow, the export variant PL-15E was shown to have folding rear fins, increasing the internal payload of the
Chengdu J-20 The Chengdu J-20 (), also known as Mighty Dragon (, NATO reporting name: Fagin), is a twinjet, twin-engine Night fighter, all-weather Stealth aircraft, stealth fighter developed by China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the People's Liberatio ...
and Shenyang J-35. The PL-16 and PL-15E with folding fins could supplement or replace the regular PL-15 in the future.


Operational history


China

The PL-15 entered
People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...
(PLAAF) military service around 2015 to 2017. The carrying platforms include the Chengdu J-10C, the Shenyang J-16 and the Chengdu J-20. It has also been spotted on the Shenyang J-11B. The PL-15 has begun to replace the earlier PL-12 as the standard beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) for both PLAAF and People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) fighters.


Pakistan

On 7 May 2025, the PL-15E was deployed in combat during the 2025 India–Pakistan strikes by
Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
(PAF), marking what analysts believe to be the missile's first combat deployment. According to the Pakistan authorities, PAF used Chengdu J-10C and PL-15E missiles to shoot down Indian aircraft. Videos and photos of the downed aircraft were verified by
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, indicating one of the down aircraft was the Indian Air Force's
Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...
. An anonymous U.S. official told ''
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
'' that there was "high confidence" that J-10 jets shot down at least two Indian aircraft, including a Rafale. Photos of several PL-15E missile debris found inside Indian territory surfaced. A relatively intact rear section was found in
Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...
,
Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...
. On 13 May 2025, the Indian authorities also confirmed the usage of PL-15E by Pakistan. Many circumstances could lead to the loss of missiles in relatively intact states. The usage of PL-15E in the conflict offered military analysts opportunities to assess the combat effectiveness of newest Chinese weaponry and their strategic implications. The recovery of the debris could offer technical insights into PL-15E's capabilities and limitations. there is only claimed 8 Pl 15 e jammed by indian ew systems and there is no data that this missiles shoot downed 2 Indian jets including rafale


Design


Propulsion

The PL-15 uses a dual-pulsed solid-fuel rocket motor capable of a burnout speed greater than Mach 5 and a range of more than . During its terminal phase, the second pulse of its motor ignites, providing additional energy and speed to increase kill probability at long distances. If launched at supersonic speed, the missile can maintain velocities above Mach 5 for much of its flight.


Airframe

The missile has a length of about with a diameter of about . It features cropped control fins (compared to the PL-12) designed for internal carriage by
stealth aircraft Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 Ni ...
.


Guidance

The missile is guided by a miniature
active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the a ...
radar seeker, sporting both active and passive modes for the different mission set. It also features improved resistance to countermeasures and better performance against low-observable targets. The hybrid guidance system supports a mid-course two-way datalink led by AEW&C aircraft and autonomous terminal radar homing.


Foreign sales

In 2021, Pakistan acquired the PL-15E air-to-air missile from China as part of a $1.5 billion defense deal. The agreement included 20 J-10CE fighter jets and approximately 240 PL-15E missiles, making Pakistan the first international customer for PL-15E variant. Pakistan secured a $1.4 billion loan to fund the purchase of this package, including additional logistical and support services.


Variants

;PL-15: PLAAF domestic version with an estimated range of . ;PL-15E: Export version of PL-15 with a reduced maximum launch range of 145 km ;PL-15E with folding fins: PL-15E with folded tail fins that likely allows J-20 and J-35 internal weapons bays to carry six missiles. ;PL-16 (CH-AA-X-13): A further development of PL-15 that allows J-20's internal weapons bay to carry six missiles simultaneously (whereas PL-15 is quad-packed). The PL-16 missile, while smaller in dimension, features a compressed airframe, folded fins, and a high-performance dual-pulse motor to deliver equal or better performance compared to the regular PL-15.


Operators

; *
People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...
: PL-15 * People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force: PL-15 ; *
Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
: PL-15E


See also


Missiles of similar role, configuration, and era

* * * * *


References

;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pl-15 Air-to-air missiles of the People's Republic of China Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles Military equipment introduced in the 2010s Weapons of the People's Republic of China