It must be said that the logic of Indians is truly "magical." A few days ago, we just introduced the so-called "retrieval of 10 intact PL-15 air-to-air missiles" in India. Recently, Indian media has come up with a new gimmick.

On the 22nd, the Indian website "Defense Research" came to a new conclusion based on observations of recent Chinese news reports and online discussions:

The "evidence" listed by Indian media, we have not found any of them.

Because India has captured too many PL-15 air-to-air missiles, the PLA Air Force "has no choice but" to reduce the procurement of this missile and instead purchase the PL-16 air-to-air missile. The reason is that China is concerned that the secret technology of the PL-15 may be mastered by India, thereby weakening the PLA Air Force's unexpected striking capability.

Indian media confidently claims that its conclusion is based on the recent issue of the "China National Defense News" and the discussion of "Chinese military analysts" on social media.

"After India announced the capture of a complete PL-15, there was a lot of anxiety on Chinese forums," and the post-war audit by Pakistan also showed that the failure rate of the PL-15 in electronic warfare against India exceeded 40%, "which further weakened China's confidence in this export missile."

We must admit, after reading this report from Indian media, our first reaction was a question mark.

India is completely immersed in its own propaganda...

Firstly, according to the statement of the Indian website "Defense Research," we did actually check the recent reports of the "China National Defense News" and the "PLA Daily," but we didn't find any news about the "reduction in the procurement of the PL-15" or the "increase in the production of the PL-16."

As for the so-called "Chinese military analysts," it is most likely just online discussions, lacking more reliable sources to support it.

Secondly, regarding the "post-war audit by Pakistan showing that the failure rate of the PL-15 in electronic warfare exceeds 40%" mentioned by Indian media, we couldn't find any official news from Pakistan or media reports; on the contrary, if the PL-15 were so easily affected by electronic interference, how would India explain the fact that several of their aircraft were shot down?

Therefore, we really don't know how Indian media came up with the conclusion that "because India has retrieved too many PL-15 missiles, the PLA is worried that the mystery of the missile cannot be maintained, so they reduce the procurement of the PL-15."

PL-17 or PL-20 exposed in 2016 (PL-XX)

Again, even if India really retrieves a relatively complete PL-15, it might provide some reference and inspiration for India's domestic missile development, but it does not mean that India has enough reverse engineering capabilities to "copy" the complete technology.

Additionally, regarding the "PL-16 air-to-air missile" mentioned by Indian media, as far as currently known information is concerned, the Chinese government has not yet confirmed the existence of this missile or publicly disclosed its performance.

Although several years ago, a photo of a larger new air-to-air missile appeared on social media, this missile is generally believed to be the "PL-17" or "PL-20," rather than the "PL-16" mentioned by Indian media.

The US "The Drive" website believes that the "PL-17" or "PL-20" is a long-range air-to-air missile specifically designed to suppress early warning aircraft or refueling aircraft, with a range exceeding 300 kilometers, equipped with a bidirectional data link and an active electronically scanned array guidance head. However, due to its large size, it cannot be mounted in the internal weapons bay of the J-20, and can only be externally mounted or carried by the J-16.

The nickname "bomb truck" of the J-16 is well deserved.

The repeated exposure of the "PL-17" or "PL-20" actually reflects that even if India is willing to invest a lot of resources and spend several years or even decades to make some progress in copying the technology of the PL-15, by that time, China's air-to-air missiles will have already developed to the next generation, and India will only be chasing an outdated target.

A saying goes, "One lie needs countless lies to cover it up." India's repeated hype about its "military achievements," even fabricating rumors for promotion, will ultimately expose more and more loopholes.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7564678876396372531/

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