As details of the Indo-Pak air combat continue to be declassified, Chinese weapons have infuriated foreign experts. Japanese experts criticized China, stating that China's PL-15 has outrageously overestimated its range.

What happened? The PL-15E, when promoted, was said to have a range of 145 kilometers, but in the Indo-Pak air combat, it destroyed a Rafale fighter beyond 180 kilometers. According to the simulation of the missile trajectory by Japanese Self-Defense Forces officers, the PL-15E's range can completely exceed 200 kilometers. If the range of the PLA's domestic version is even further, it might reach around 300 kilometers.

Moreover, what is hard for foreigners to accept is that there is a fundamental difference between the performance rating systems of Western and Chinese weapons. Western arms manufacturers often use the "maximum range under ideal conditions" standard when publicly listing parameters, which refers to data measured under conditions where the target is non-maneuverable and has a large radar cross-section, such as early warning aircraft or transport planes, flying at high altitudes at a constant speed. Taking AIM-120D, the main medium-range missile currently in service with the U.S., as an example, its published 160-kilometer range assumes an attack on a large airborne target head-on, whereas when facing highly maneuverable fighters, its no-escape zone radius drops sharply to around 70 kilometers.

According to the research results of Chinese scientists, fourth-generation medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles possess extremely high maneuverability and range. With the assistance of advanced onboard sensors (such as phased array radars and IFF systems) and data links, they will inevitably drive beyond-visual-range combat to become the primary form of air warfare. However, beyond-visual-range combat will not be the end of air combat; in certain air combat scenarios, aircraft can avoid attacks from medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles through proper aggressive maneuvers and electronic countermeasures.

Within the no-escape zone of the missile, the probability of hitting the target is very high, and the target's maneuvers have little effect; however, within the area between the no-escape zone and the maximum possible attack range, the probability of hitting the target is lower, as the target can avoid by diving, performing S-maneuvers, or tail-chase maneuvers.

That is why the Chinese military-industrial complex established the "practical effectiveness-oriented" standard from the very beginning. All missile ranges are based on the no-escape zone for striking typical aerial targets (highly maneuverable aircraft). This "self-degrading" labeling method has created a unique "Chinese contrast" in the international arms market.

The performance ratings of Chinese weapons have made foreigners feel insulted, as if someone's grades were so good that they deliberately lowered them to accommodate others' feelings.

Moreover, the PL-15E missile adopts a composite guidance mode of "airborne early warning aircraft relay guidance + terminal active radar." During the first 80% of its flight path after launch, it remains silent in terms of radar, relying entirely on real-time data links from airborne early warning platforms to correct its trajectory. This tactic rendered India's "Rafale" fighter jets' "Spectra-5" electronic warfare system completely ineffective until the missile entered the 25-kilometer terminal attack zone and activated its active radar, at which point the onboard warning system only detected fleeting radar pulses. By then, the pilot was already destroyed while still in confusion.

We can see from the seven recordings released by Pakistan, which tore apart the fig leaf of the Indian Air Force:

Sukhoi Su-30MKI crew asked via encrypted channels just 10 seconds before being shot down, "Why does the data link not display the position of the enemy?"

Rafale squadron leader: "Godzilla 1 hit! All personnel immediately..." (Explosion sound)

Sukhoi Su-30MKI pilot: "My missiles haven't been unlocked yet! How did they do it?!"

Airborne command officer: "All units turn off your radars! Repeat! Turn off your radars! We are being slaughtered!"

These recordings show the desperation of the Indian pilots, who had no idea where the enemy was, their missiles hadn't even been armed, and they didn't even have time to react before being blown up mid-air.

In fact, China's reverse exaggeration goes far beyond this. Take the Hongjian-12E anti-tank missile exported earlier as an example. It claims a range of 4 kilometers, but the laser guidance head can actually strike targets up to 8 kilometers away when launched from an aircraft. Moreover, the non-cooled infrared imaging seeker and tandem warhead technology used give it a penetration depth of 1100 millimeters of homogeneous steel, surpassing the 800 millimeters of the American "Javelin" missile. More importantly, the total weight of the firing system is only 17 kilograms, 4 kilograms lighter than the latter. This "performance surplus" design has repeatedly created battlefield miracles in actual combat in Yemen and Syria, giving armed personnel wielding the Hongjian-12E an asymmetric advantage against third-generation main battle tanks.

Our warships' tonnage is also like this. The 055 destroyer is said to be over 10,000 tons, but the actual tonnage reaches 13,000 tons. Compared to the U.S. Navy, the U.S. severely underestimates its equipment. For instance, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the F22 and F35 engines is falsified. The F199 engine is falsely claimed to exceed 10, but it is actually only 7. This prompted our military industry personnel to set the thrust-to-weight ratio of the WS-15 at 10 when developing it. As a result, the WS-15 succeeded, and we discovered upon reflection that the U.S. was indeed falsifying data, making the WS-15 the undisputed world's strongest small bypass ratio high-thrust engine.

It was precisely the U.S.'s falsification and love of creating PowerPoint presentations that spurred a sense of urgency among our military experts, leading to a flourishing of our weaponry and the continuous creation of new world records.

In short, China's reverse exaggeration highlights the humility and restraint of the Chinese nation. This approach of "hiding one's sharpness" maintains the appearance of regional military balance while ensuring an asymmetrical advantage during wartime.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7511266424300601856/

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