Source : IgMp Bureau
The Pakistani J-10CE fleet, armed with China’s PL-15E missiles, may not hold the air-to-air superiority it claims over the Indian Air Force, reveals a confidential report from the US Air Force.
Leaked internal reports from the USAF cast doubts on the true capabilities of China’s PL-15 Very Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM). Despite China’s assertion of a 200-kilometer range, the USAF report suggests this may be exaggerated due to operational constraints.
The report reveals that the PL-15’s advertised range relies on specific launch parameters, including a fighter jet speed of Mach 1.2 at an altitude of 10 kilometers. However, in actual combat situations, these conditions may vary significantly.
Taking into consideration practical launch limitations, the USAF estimates the effective range of the PL-15 against an adversary to be approximately 140 kilometers, a notable reduction from China’s claim.
The report suggests that similar limitations could apply to the PL-15E, the export variant supplied to Pakistan. With an advertised range of 145 kilometers, the real-world effectiveness could decrease by up to 30%, leaving the PL-15E with a practical range of around 105-110 kilometers.
This revelation challenges Pakistan’s assertion of achieving air-to-air parity with India’s Rafale fighter jets through the induction of the PL-15E missiles. The report highlights that Pakistan’s F-16s, equipped with AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles, already possess a comparable range to the PL-15E, even accounting for China’s claims.
India’s domestically developed Astra missiles, particularly the Astra Mk-II with a reported range of 130 kilometers, could potentially outmatch the PL-15E. Additionally, the Astra Mk-I, with a range similar to the AMRAAM AIM-120C variant, poses a formidable challenge to Pakistan’s air capabilities.
Defence analyst Ranesh Rajan corroborates these findings, stating that the PL-15E’s dual-pulsed solid-propellant rocket design limits its range to around 110 kilometers. Recent reports on the Astra Mk-II reinforce this assessment, indicating a real-world range closer to 130 kilometers, rather than the exaggerated figures often touted in the media.
The revelations from the US Air Force report cast doubts on the claimed air-to-air superiority of the Pakistani J-10CE fleet equipped with the PL-15E missiles, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of missile capabilities in assessing regional military dynamics.
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