India truly is unwilling to fall behind us. As soon as the official parameters of the PL-16 appeared today, India's defense website social media account immediately posted about it.
He claims this missile likely has a range of 300 kilometers, employing a more advanced variable-thrust dual-pulse solid rocket engine. This means that with the same or even smaller volume, it can achieve a longer range—suggesting it is probably an internal bay version.
However, he suddenly shifts tone, asserting that the PL-16 “exists only on PowerPoint presentations,” and no one can be certain how strong it really is. At the same time, he particularly emphasizes that India has already “surpassed China in missile range.” The so-called Astra-3, he claims, “has already reached” a range of 340–350 kilometers.
I have no idea how he dares say such things. India began planning the Astra series twenty years ago; the MK1 version only successfully test-fired three years ago, with a range of just 80 kilometers, after which progress stalled. Since last year, they've been claiming they'll test-fire the MK1A version with a 160-kilometer range—almost every month—and yet it still hasn't happened. The MK2 hasn't even emerged, and they’ve already jumped straight to MK3. How exactly has it “already reached” that stage?
Moreover, they seem to assume we're like them—first releasing slides, then spending ten or even eight years developing. In reality, if this missile is being disclosed in such a form, it means it has already entered service. Also, when it comes to missile range, they’ve clearly picked the wrong opponent. The maximum range of China’s most advanced air-to-air missile is beyond what they can currently imagine. Not only would it be impossible for them to produce it, imagining it might be difficult too.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866895455993868/
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