The PL-17 (
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-12 ''
Auger''
) or PL-20 is an
active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft (including unmanned aircraft such as cruise missiles). AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid-fuel roc ...
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 ...
for 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). The missile has claimed range more than and is intended to target high value airborne assets (HVAA) such as
tanker and
early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
History and development
The missile was tested on a
Shenyang J-16
The Shenyang J-16 (; NATO reporting name: Flanker-N) also known as Qianlong is a Chinese all-weather 4.5 generation, tandem-seat, twin-engine, multirole strike fighterBronk, page 38 built by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and operated by the P ...
fighter in 2016, and can also be deployed on Chinese imported
Su-30MKK
The Sukhoi Su-30MKK (NATO reporting name: Flanker-G)MKK stands for Russian ''Mnogofunktzionniy Kommercheskiy Kitayski'' (Cyrillic: Многофунктзионний Коммерческий Китайски), "Multifunctional Commercial for C ...
and
Su-35
The Sukhoi Su-35 (-35; NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, occasionally nicknamed "Super Flanker") is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable, 4.5 ge ...
fighters.
It's understood that PL-17 is a separate development from the ramjet-powered
PL-21
The PL-21 or PL-XX is an under development active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the People's Republic of China. It is considered comparable to the American AIM-260 JATM, and the Russian R-37 (missile)
The ...
(PL-XX).
In October 2022, Chinese state media reported that the PL-17 entered PLAAF service.
Design
PL-17 is much larger than other long-range air-to-air missiles, at long (whereas
PL-15
The PL-15 ( zh, s=霹雳-15, p=Pī Lì-Yāo Wǔ, l=Thunderbolt-15, NATO reporting name: CH-AA-10 Abaddon) is an active radar homing, active radar-guided long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the People's Republic of Chi ...
,
AIM-120
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) ( ) is an American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. It uses active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active rece ...
are measured around long), which contains more solid fuel. The extended length makes the missile unfit for the internal weapons bay 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 ...
. During the flight, PL-17 would rely on inertial guidance, satellite navigation, and data-link to track targets. During the terminal phase, the missile would turn on its multimode seeker with both active AESA radar, passive sensors,
and IR-homing to track the target autonomously. The missile features a low-drag profile, and maneuverability is provided by four small control fins and thrust-vectoring engines.
The missile is powered by a
dual pulse rocket motor
A pulsed rocket motor is typically defined as a multiple-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor. This design overcomes difficulties shutting down and reigniting solid propellant motors. The pulse rocket motor allows the motor to be burned in segments (or ...
and flies in lofted launch trajectory
to achieve the reported range between by various media, or class by
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI, Rusi) is a defence and security think tank with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1831 by the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley ...
with a top speed in excess of Mach 4.
See also
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References
Air-to-air missiles of the People's Republic of China
Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles
Weapons of the People's Republic of China
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