Indian authorities have recovered parts of a Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missile in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, following recent military escalations with Pakistan.
The PL-15 missile is believed to have missed its target during the recent Kashmir skirmish. Most Indian fighter jets were downed by American-made AMRAAM missiles.
Backed by Saab 2000 AEW&C, F-16 fired the AMRAAM missiles while Pakistani Air Force fighters were in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, which surprised the Indian Air Force as the PAF overtook the Indian control area. Pakistan JF-17 Block 2, JF-17 Block 3 and J-10C have no data link and networking capabilities. The only way Pakistan could engage Indian aircraft is if it received early warning from Swedish AEWC integrated with American F-16 fighter jets.
Indian media published photos of the missile remnants, though the circumstances of the missile’s presence in Indian territory remain under investigation.
The PL-15, developed by China, is an advanced air-to-air missile with a beyond-visual-range capability. The domestic variant can reach distances of 200 kilometres, while the export version used by Pakistan, designated PL-15e, 15E—has a reported range of approximately 145 kilometres.
It achieves speeds above Mach 3 using a dual-pulse solid-propellant rocket motor. If Chinese-made avionics and radar are used, it is guided by a semi-active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker with mid-course datalink updates.
The PL-15 does not communicate with Western avionics and radar suites.
Earlier, Pakistan released the first official images of its upgraded JF-17C fighter aircraft armed with PL-10 and PL-15 missiles. For the first time, officials in Islamabad confirmed the fighter’s capability to deploy the long-range PL-15, highlighting China’s growing role in arming Pakistan with air combat systems.
The Pakistan Air Force has framed the display as a deterrent, underscoring its ability to respond to any Indian retaliation.
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