Chinese Super Manoeuvrable Air-to-air Missile Closer to Deployment

China’s short-range air-to-air missile, the PL-10, which has been test fired 30 times, is close to deployment abroad fighter jets such as the J-20 and the J-11.

The PL-10 is ‘nearly ready’ according to comments made by Liang Xiaogeng, chief designer of the Luoyang Electro-Optical Research Institute, which designed the missile. The missile has largely competed development and testing on various aerial platforms, the designer added.

This new missile is fitted with a multi-element imaging infrared seeker with anti-jamming capabilities, weighs 89 kg, has a length of 3 m, and a range of 20 km. It has been in development for seven years, a prototype was completed in 2013.

Western and Chinese experts have deduced from photographs that the missile has a thrust vectoring nozzle and aft fins to impart super manoeuvrability to it so as to defeat on board defence systems of fighter aircraft. Chinese media has reported that missile is the most advanced air-to-air missile in the country’s armoury and will likely be placed on fighter aircraft such as the J-20 stealth fighter and the J-11 fourth generation fighter.