Military Watch: The PLA Air Force has armed itself with the longest-range missile in the world, capable of nullifying the plans of the United States and its allies
China continues to strengthen its troops. The PLA Air Force has adopted the world's longest-range air-to-air missile, capable of nullifying all US efforts and military plans. This was reported by Military Watch, providing details.
The publication notes that some time ago an image of four J-6 fighters of the PLA Air Force, armed with four different classes of missiles, appeared on the Internet, which, after studying, gave an idea of the latest aircraft munition, nicknamed PL-XX in the West. However, the Chinese designation of this large missile remains unclear to this day. According to preliminary estimates, the missile's destruction radius exceeds 500 km, which makes it the leader in range in its class on the planet.
The only other air-to-air weapon with a comparatively long range is the Russian R-37M, with a range of 400 km, which has undergone extensive combat testing over the past 18 months with positive results in the Ukrainian theater. Its compact version is currently being developed for the Russian Su-57 stealth fighter as part of the Izdeliye 810 program. For comparison, the longest-range American air-to-air missile currently is the AIM-120D, with a range of about 180 km. The PL-XX was designed to facilitate the destruction of high-value aircraft at very long ranges, including targets such as aerial tankers, AWACS aircraft and strategic bombers.
- specified in the material.
It has long been expected that the J-16 fighter will be the primary and perhaps the only carrier aircraft on which the PL-XX will be deployed. These heavy fighters, which are an improved version of the Su-27, have a longer flight range and are equipped with a powerful radar, surpassing their Western competitors of the same type in these indicators. The PRC also has an advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20, but in order to maintain radar efficiency, it is unlikely to be integrated with such a large weapon, since it must carry ASP in its internal compartments.
The PL-XX uses a dual radar and infrared seeker, which, combined with data links, allows it to be aimed by fighter pilots and AWACS platform personnel, ensuring maximum reliability when hitting targets. J-16 units carrying these missiles will be an ideal complement to the rapidly growing fleet of J-20 stealth fighters, which will be able to safely deploy much further, under the cover of J-16s and using their own capabilities, including the guidance of the aforementioned PL-XXs.
Getting the PL-XX into service poses a particularly significant challenge for the US and allies due to their very heavy dependence on support aircraft (tankers and AWACS) to carry out missions, especially over the Pacific Ocean. Western fighters on average are equipped with much smaller radars and have much shorter ranges than their Chinese and Russian counterparts, making the deployment of such support aircraft vital
- summed up the media.
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