China’s air force may
have tested a new 400-km range air-to-air missile which could take out high-
value targets like early warning and aerial refuelling aircraft, which stay far
away from battle zones, state media reported on Wednesday.
An image released online by the Chinese Air Force
has led to speculation that the military is testing a beyond-visual-range,
air-to-air missile in combat drills, according to China Daily. The photo,
recently uploaded to the People’s Liberation Army website, shows a J-11B
twin-engine fighter jet carrying a large missile – it stretches about
one-fourth of the length of the 22-meter-long aircraft – during ‘Red Sword
2016’, an aerial warfare exercise over a northwestern desert in November.
Nearly 100 aircraft as well as air defense and
electronic countermeasure units from two theater commands participated in the
exercise, the Air Force had said. It comes after photographs circulated on
weapons websites late last year of a Chinese J-16 strike fighter carrying a
nearly identical missile, the report said. A spokesman for the Air Force was
unavailable for comment on Wednesday, and no official introduction of the
potential new weapon has been disclosed by the PLA or defense contractors.
However, its appearance has attracted attention from military enthusiasts, many
of whom say such a missile would boost the Air Force’s combat capabilities, it
said.
Chinese fighter jets currently use the PL-11 and
PL-12 missiles to attack long-distance targets, but their maximum ranges are
shorter than 100 kilometers. Fu Qianshao, an equipment researcher with the PLA
Air Force, said that he believes China has developed a new missile that can hit
high-value targets such as early-warning planes and aerial refueling aircraft,
which stay far from conflict zones. Most air-to-air missiles in service around
the world have a maximum range of around 100 km, while a handful of new types
propelled by ramjets can reach 200 km, he said. However, all of them are
unsuitable for combating early-warning planes because of their short ranges.
Moreover, he added, long-range ground-to-air missiles are restricted by their
fixed deployment when dealing with planes far away.
“The best solution to this problem I can figure
out is to send a super-maneuverable fighter jet with very-long-range missiles
to destroy those high-value targets, which are ‘eyes’ of enemy jets,” Fu said.
“So the successful development of this potential new missile would be a major
breakthrough in the Air Force’s weapons upgrade,” the paper quoted Fu as
saying.
He said the missile could have a maximum range of
400 km, farther than any air-to-air missiles used by Western air forces.
Fu said that based on his experience, an
ultralong-range missile would enter the the stratosphere – at an altitude of 20
to 50 km – and continue its flight there until it detects its target and dives
to strike. In addition, the missile’s size would enable it to be equipped with
a large, cutting-edge guidance radar to detect targets. All of these
capabilities would allow it to deal with
large planes and stealth jets, Fu said.
The US’ longest-range air-to-air missile is the
AIM-120D, which has an operational range of up to 200 km. Russia also has the
R-37 and K-100 air-to-air missiles, which their designers say have operational
ranges of up to 400 km, the report said.
Source :- Indian Express
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