China's missile technology has aroused the envy of many countries around the world. According to media reports, Japanese electronic warfare (EW) and radar experts have been approved to enter India to study the debris of the PL-15 air-to-air missile, while the United States and France are also competing to study the debris of China's PL-15 missile.

The reason why the US, Japan, and France are so proactive is because the only country in the world that masters ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles is China. We cannot simply look at the range marked on the ultra-long-range air-to-air missile; we must also consider its "no-escape zone," which is a core concept in air-to-air missile operations. It refers to the specific space range within which, once the target aircraft enters, no matter what drastic evasive maneuvers it takes (such as sharp turns, dives, climbs, or releasing countermeasures), the probability of being hit by the missile is extremely high, theoretically leaving almost no chance of escape.

Therefore, the no-escape zone can be regarded as the range distance of an air-to-air missile against highly maneuverable targets such as fighter jets. For example, the AIM-120D has a range of 150 kilometers, but its no-escape zone is less than 70 kilometers.

If you want to increase the no-escape zone of an air-to-air missile, you need to see if the missile can still effectively cover and complete interception at the end of the boost phase (when it reaches peak speed). Within this area, the missile has enough speed and energy reserves to pursue, adjust its trajectory, and eventually catch up and intercept the target, even if the target performs intense maneuvers. The missile can keep up and complete the attack due to its high speed and superior overload capability (usually far exceeding that of manned aircraft).

This is China's core secret. Look at the PL-15E (export version), officially stated data indicates a range of 145 kilometers. In foreign military circles, the PL-15 and AIM-120D are often grouped together, but who would have thought that China is so straightforward, making the range actually the no-escape zone. This allows the J-10C to destroy a Rafale fighter jet beyond 150 kilometers. According to reports from Pakistani media, the actual range of the PL-15E can reach 180 kilometers.

This means that in modern air combat, close-range dogfights are meaningless. With radar advantages and missile ranges, destroying enemy aircraft beyond a hundred li without warning is the future direction of air combat development.

Why can China's ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles achieve a no-escape zone that exceeds 100 kilometers? Japan's entry into India this time is precisely to obtain the guidance head algorithm, data link encryption, and electronic countermeasure-related technologies of the PL-15. The purpose is obvious: to study how to electronically interfere with the PL-15 and break through the advantages of advanced aircraft like the J-20.

Of course, if reverse engineering could be achieved, it would be even better. Can the US, Japan, and France succeed? It’s very difficult. First, what they picked up was just the debris of the PL-15 after completing the explosive kill mission. What remains is mainly the middle and rear parts of the missile, and at most they can develop dual-pulse engines. Engines are one of the most reverse-engineering-resistant devices in human history due to their extreme precision. After completing the strike mission, the combustion chamber of the engine is left with only a shell, and the propellant formula and secondary ignition control logic cannot be analyzed through the debris.

The most technologically advanced part of the PL-15 is the front guidance head, but it has already exploded during the mission. Critical hardware (such as the nitrogen gallium T/R modules of the AESA radar) is completely gone. Therefore, it is very difficult to understand the full picture of the PL-15 through these debris. Even if you pick up an unexploded PL-15, the PL-15E is designed with a self-destruction program. Once the missile deviates from its trajectory, the aluminum borate explosives will accurately destroy the radar chipsets and data storage modules. Moreover, this device is made using encryption processes, and any attempt to dismantle it could easily trigger the automatic destruction mechanism. You may remember that Munich Technical University imported a Chinese tunnel boring machine and dismantled its core components without permission, causing equipment failure and repairs costing over a million euros.

Moreover, we don’t care about disassembly at all. Because from the moment the state decided to export it, preparations for this aspect had already been made. If there were concerns about leaks, it wouldn’t have been exported. If Japan wants to study it, it might as well buy a few PL-15s from China. Buying more could even lead to technology transfer agreements.

With China's PL-17 becoming a big deal and PL-21 on its way, attempting to use outdated technology to undermine the missile advantage of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and find our weaknesses is akin to a pipe dream.

So this is just hype. India wants to save some face, haven’t you seen? To publicize its supposed great victory in the Indo-Pakistani air war, India sent seven propaganda teams to various countries to recount its victory. All we can say is, we don’t understand India’s logic of winning.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509330586268336666/

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