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Wen Junjian. Recently, a group of J-16 fighters flying with multiple missiles released by "Military Network" have attracted the attention of military fans, because some sharp-eyed military fans have found outThis time there seems to be a new "ultra-long missile" under the wing of the J-16, this missile is considered by the outside world to be the legendary PL-17 missile, it is reported that this is an ultra-long-range air-to-air missile with a range of up to 400 kilometers, which can play a huge advantage in over-the-horizon combat in the modern air combat environment.
Military Network".
In the public footage, you can see that there are 4 J-16s flying in a queue togetherThe payload of these 4 J-16s is not the same, the two on the left have a larger payload, and they are unveiled in the mode of "missile trucks", the fighters carry 10 air-to-air missiles, and the PL-17 is in the inner position of the left wing. Just by comparing **, you can find that the PL-17 is far larger than other PL-15 and other models, which is obviously to meet the needs of long-distance cruise.
The PL-17 is significantly larger)
The appearance of the suspected PL-17 has also attracted the attention of foreign media, because this new missile has a long range and can be said to be the air-to-air missile that can reach the longest range in the world at present. In fact, the range of the PL-15 is already long enough, capable of reaching more than 200 kilometers, and this exceeds the American AIM-120 air-to-air missile, which has four versions A, B, C, and D, but even the longest-range D version has only a range of about 180 kilometers, so to speakIn the range of air-to-air missiles, China is already far ahead of the United States.
F-35 launches AIM-120)
According to a report by India's "Eurasia Times", the unconvinced United States came up with a new AIM-260 program in 2017, which requires a new missile of about 300 kilometers. Obviously, the United States is developing the same missile with reference to the PL-15, and the goal is to fight farther than the PL-15.
The PL-15E for export can still hit targets at a distance of 145 km)
But the U.S. military may not have expected that just when the AIM-260 was in full swing of development, the PLA's new missile of the same model came again, and the range was once again overwhelmed by the U.S. military. AIM-260 is actually still in the testing phase and is expected to be some time before it reaches general deployment. The current situation is that the US missiles are facing the embarrassing status quo of obsolescence before they are put into service, and after the AIM-260 is equipped with the US military, it will still face the problem that the over-the-horizon attack capability is weaker than that of the PL-17.
aim-260）
Of course, the development of the PL-17 is based on our own needs, and China is not trying to compete with anyone. As long as the United States does not cause trouble, there is no need to sit in the right seat.
Indian media also mentioned the J-20, which seems to believe that the J-20 will use its best capabilities to avoid the detection of opponents' fighters, and destroy "expensive and vulnerable air assets" such as early warning aircraft and tankers by launching ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles.
J-20 carries PL-15 and other missiles).
There is a question here whether the J-20 can carry the PL-17, judging from the J-20's bomb bay photos, the PL-15 can be loaded, but the PL-17 is longer and larger, and may not be suitable for carrying with the built-in bomb bay of the J-20. So either the J-20 does not consider carrying the PL-17 in stealth, or it is in wingman mode. Of course, it is not ruled out that with the advancement of technology, the PL-17 will be reduced in size, and in the future, the J-20 will also be able to be equipped with a 400-kilometer range air-to-air missile with a built-in bomb bay to play a preemptive role in the ultra-long-range air combat environment.