PL-17
{{Short description|Chinese long range air-to-air missile}}
The PL-17 (NATO reporting name: CH-AA-12 Auger{{cite web|url=https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2024/07/phoenix-successor-redux-the-usns-range-riposte-to-chinas-pl-17/ |title=Phoenix successor redux: the USN’s range riposte to China’s PL-17? |website=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=29 July 2024 |first=Douglas |last=Barrie }}) or PL-20 is an active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the People's Republic of China for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The missile has claimed range more than {{cvt|400|km|mi}} and is intended to target high value airborne assets (HVAA) such as tanker and early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.{{cite web|url=https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2024/01/air-to-air-missiles-push-the-performance-payload-envelope/ |title=Air-to-air missiles push the performance, payload envelope |date=20 January 2024 |website= International Institute for Strategic Studies |first=Douglas |last=Barrie }}{{cite web|url=https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-balance/2021/10/china-fires-longer-range-aam-at-export-market |title=China fires longer-range AAM at export market |website=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=8 October 2021 |first=Douglas |last=Barrie }}{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/11/takeaways-from-chinas-zhuhai-air-show-2022/ |title=Takeaways From China's Zhuhai Air Show 2022 |website=The Diplomat |date=21 November 2022 |first=Zachary |last=Williams }}
History and development
The missile was tested on a Shenyang J-16 fighter in 2016,{{cite web|url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/6108/shadowy-new-missile-appears-under-the-wing-of-chinese-j-16-fighter |title=Shadowy New Missile Appears Under the Wing of Chinese J-16 Fighter |website=The Drive |date=21 November 2016 |first=Tyler |last=Rogoway }} and can also be deployed on Chinese imported Su-30MKK and Su-35 fighters.{{cite report|url=https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/documents/Research/Other-Topics/2022-08-15%20PLA%20Primer%203rd%20edition.pdf?ver=CHnk2NAOlCMqoqs7tGdjkw%3D%3D×tamp=1660595152807 |title=PLA Aerospace Power: A Primer on Trends in China's Military Air, Space, and Missile Forces |publisher=China Aerospace Studies Institute |location=Montgomery |year=2022}} It's understood that PL-17 is a separate development from the ramjet-powered PL-21 (PL-XX).{{cite web|url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a-guide-to-chinas-increasingly-impressive-air-to-air-missile-inventory |title=A Guide To China's Increasingly Impressive Air-To-Air Missile Inventory |website=The Drive |date=1 September 2022|first=Thomas |last=Newdick }} In October 2022, Chinese state media reported that the PL-17 entered PLAAF service.{{cite web|url=http://www.takungpao.com/news/232108/2022/1128/791778.html |title=一剑封喉/霹雳17远攻 空空导弹之王 |date=28 November 2022 |website=Ta Kung Pao }}
Design
PL-17 is much larger than other long-range air-to-air missiles, at {{cvt|6|m|ft}} long (whereas PL-15, AIM-120 are measured around {{cvt|4|m|ft}} long), which contains more solid fuel. The extended length makes the missile unfit for the internal weapons bay of the Chengdu J-20. During the flight, PL-17 would rely on inertial guidance, satellite navigation, and data-link to track targets. During the terminal phase, the missile would turn on its multimode seeker with both active AESA radar, passive sensors, and IR-homing to track the target autonomously. The missile features a low-drag profile, and maneuverability is provided by four small control fins and thrust-vectoring engines.{{cite report |last=Bronk |first=Justin |date=October 2020 |title=Russian and Chinese Combat Air Trends: Current Capabilities and Future Threat Outlook |url=https://static.rusi.org/russian_and_chinese_combat_air_trends_whr_final_web_version.pdf |series=Whitehall Report |volume=3-20 |location=London |publisher=Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies |issn=1750-9432}} The missile is powered by a dual pulse rocket motor and flies in lofted launch trajectory to achieve the reported range between {{cvt|300-500|km|mi}} by various media, or {{cvt|400|km|mi}} class by Royal United Services Institute with a top speed in excess of Mach 4.
See also
- {{lwc|PL-15}}
- {{lwc|PL-21}}
- {{lwc|AIM-174B}}
- {{lwc|R-37 (missile)|R-37M}}
- {{lwc|Novator KS-172}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Chinese_Missiles}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:PL-17}}
Category:Air-to-air missiles of the People's Republic of China
Category:Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles
Category:Weapons of the People's Republic of China
{{missile-stub}}