Pakistan Air Force has reportedly taken delivery of advanced PL-15 air-to-air missiles from China. The missiles are being integrated onto the PAF's latest JF-17 Block III fighter jets, according to reports surfacing amid heightened tensions with India. Pictures released by the PAF show the JF-17 Block III aircraft armed with the long-range missiles.
Reports suggest the missiles may have come from China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force's internal stocks rather than the export-variant PL-15E, which has a shorter range. If accurate, this transfer could signal an urgent move by Beijing to bolster Islamabad's military capabilities during a volatile period.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following a recent terrorist attack in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir vox.com/world-politics/411219/india-pakistan-kashmir-terrorist-attack-war. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed a strong response to the attack, which India attributes to a militant group with alleged links to Pakistan's security services. Pakistan has denied involvement but stated it has credible intelligence of impending Indian military action cnn.com/2025/04/29/asia/kashmir-pakistan-india-tension-military-intl-hnk/index.html.
The PL-15 is an advanced air-to-air missile developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. It is radar-guided with an AESA radar and dual-pulse rocket motor. The missile is designed for long-range engagements and is stated to be compatible with several Chinese aircraft, including the JF-17 Block III.
Claimed range for the standard PL-15 is significantly longer than the export version. The reported range of 200-300 km would provide PAF fighter jets a tactical advantage, enabling them to engage Indian Air Force aircraft from extended distances.
The PL-15 is often compared to Western missiles like the US AIM-120D AMRAAM and the European MBDA Meteor dassault-aviation.com/en/defense/rafale/a-full-range-of-advanced-weapons/. While the PL-15 is reported to exceed the AIM-120D in speed and range, its capabilities relative to the Meteor depend on the specific variant and flight profile, as the Meteor uses a ramjet engine enabling sustained high speed.
The potential operational range of the PL-15 presents a challenge for the IAF. India's most advanced fighter jet, the Rafale, carries the Meteor missile, which has a range comparable to the PL-15 export variant. Following a 2019 air skirmish warontherocks.com/2019/10/climbing-the-escalation-ladder-india-and-the-balakot-crisis/ where a lack of long-range missiles was noted, India has sought to increase its BVR missile capabilities.
One option for India is Russia's R-37M missile, which has a reported range of 300-400 km and hypersonic speed eurasiantimes.com/mig-31-and-vympel-r-37m-a-formidabl/. Russia has reportedly offered the R-37M for sale to India and discussed domestic production eurasiantimes.com/rafale-fighters-to-get-indo-russian-r-37m-missiles/. The missile has seen use in the conflict in Ukraine. Integrating it with India's large fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets eurasiantimes.com/russian-sukhoi-fighters-to-be-made/, possibly through upgrades to the Su-30SM2 variant eurasiantimes.com/indian-defense-ministry-finalizes-iaf/, is being considered.
India is also developing its own Astra series of BVR missiles through the DRDO eurasiantimes.com/india-set-to-outpace-us-china-hypersonic/. The upcoming Astra Mk-III, named Gandhiva, is projected to have a range potentially exceeding 300 kilometers, intended for integration on Su-30MKI and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas jets.
However, integrating new missiles requires substantial work. As former IAF Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat noted regarding the R-37M, integrating it with the Su-30 MKIs would require "significant amount of work."
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