[Military & Weapon Section] Author: Tianlang

Recently, according to the latest report of Pakistan's media "International News Post", in the "Cinnabar Operation" on May 7th, the Pakistan Air Force used China-made J-10CE fighter jets and hit an Indian "Rafale" fighter jet with PL-15E air-to-air missiles at a distance of 181 kilometers. The original text of "International News Post" reads: "Our exclusive information indicates that in this counterattack, the farthest launch distance of Pakistan's aircraft reached 98 nautical miles, approximately 181 kilometers." Note that this is not speculation but actual battlefield measurement data.

▲ Related reports from "International News Post"

It should be noted that PL-15E is one of the longest-range and most capable export versions of Chinese air-to-air missiles. Previously, CCTV mentioned in its report that the missile's range is "greater than or equal to 145 kilometers". Now, achieving a performance of 181 kilometers in actual combat operations will undoubtedly make the outside world reevaluate this export weapon. And more importantly, this is still the export version. If it were the domestically used PL-15, the range might exceed 250 kilometers.

The target of the strike, the Rafale fighter jet,号称 the "strongest fourth-plus-generation" aircraft with a cost of $200 million each, was powerless in this beyond-visual-range engagement. Ironically, this aircraft was supposed to have its own trump card—the European Meteor missile, with a stated range exceeding 150 kilometers. However, judging from the outcome of this air battle, the Rafale didn't even get the chance to launch its missile.

▲ Wreckage of the downed Indian Air Force fighter jet

Why was the Indian Air Force so passive? The reason is not complicated. Its equipment system is long-term "multi-national," including French Rafale fighters, Russian Su-30MKI, MiG-29 fighters, Israeli radar-equipped AWACS, American C-17 transport planes, etc., resulting in extremely poor communication and data link compatibility between various platforms, leading to low battlefield coordination efficiency. Even with AWACS support, facing Pakistan's highly integrated operations involving J-10CE fighters, ZDK-03 AWACS, and Hongqi-9BE surface-to-air missiles, the Indian Air Force was unable to gain dominance in the air.

But ironically, after the war, India quickly entered a "self-anesthetic mode." According to officials from India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), they have concluded that the PL-15E missile "is not advanced," "far inferior to India's Astra missile," and "not worth reverse engineering"—does this sound familiar? It's like a contestant who hasn't won a match claiming that the opponent's punch "didn't hurt" after being hit hard... The problem is, the opponent knocked you out before you could even throw a punch, and now you're saying their technique isn't worth studying? Isn't that blind optimism?

▲ Indian high-ranking officials claim that PL-15E "is not advanced"...

Let's compare them seriously. As China's new generation of long-range air-to-air missiles, PL-15 uses dual-pulse engines and active radar guidance technology. In combat, it can rely on the advanced AESA radar of J-10C itself or external AWACS relay data support to achieve a three-stage strike chain of "long-range lock-on—mid-range update—close-range terminal."

In contrast, India's Astra series, although frequently showcased in PPTs and test fields in recent years, currently has an actual service version, the Mk1 version, with a range of only 110 kilometers. As for the so-called Astra Mk2/Mk3, they are mostly untested conceptual weapons, lacking any practical combat data, let alone whether their sensors, guidance capabilities, and mid-course update mechanisms are mature. Even Indians themselves don't have confidence in them. Ultimately, PL-15E has already achieved a hit distance of 181 kilometers in actual combat, while India's Astra Mk3 remains something repeatedly studied and tested in the laboratory. Who is superior and who is inferior cannot be reversed by simply saying "we are stronger."

▲ Indian Astra air-to-air missile

And this is just part of the issue. Strategically speaking, the significance of PL-15 goes far beyond "long range." With the cooperation of J-10C and J-20 platforms, it is an important weapon for the Chinese Air Force to counter F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation fighters. This export version achieving a kill against a fourth-plus-generation Rafale fighter in actual combat not only shocked the world but also demonstrated deterrent power. For India, being hit even before reaching the "maximum launch distance" further underscores their disadvantage in air combat. The Indian Air Force failed to locate the enemy in a single engagement, couldn't fire missiles, and seemed like a "target dummy" in the sky.

Even more absurdly, India celebrated the "victory" nationwide for ten days, as if shouting "I won" loudly could ignore the embarrassment of reality. Now, the battle ended with a score of 6:0, with Rafale fighters being shot down and missile performance being crushed, yet India insists on claiming "we are not interested in imitation." No wonder some netizens joked: "India has three treasures—being stubborn, victory, and PPT missiles."

▲ Chinese PL-15E air-to-air missile

In summary, the 181-kilometer practical range of PL-15E not only drew global attention to Chinese air-to-air missiles but also once again validated the real strength of China's defense industry. On the Indian side, despite a crushing defeat, they still had to shout a few times about "our victory," which was ultimately just a means of internal stability. Stubbornness cannot stop missiles, and PPTs cannot fly 181 kilometers. Reality is always more persuasive than words. PL-15E became legendary in one battle, while India still has to "win" in delusion.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504532958137614898/

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