One of the recent weapons in the arsenal of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), the PL-17 long-range air-to-air missile, appears to have been shown for the first time at close quarters. The missile has been around for a relatively long time, but few official details about it have been released.
The PL-17 is a derivative of the Russian R-37M missile, designated RVV-BD, which China obtained from Russia in exchange for drone technology and the transfer of spare parts for Su-30 fighter jets. The Russian R-37M missile is, in turn, a further development of the Soviet-era R-33 missile. The R-37M was developed to address shortcomings in the R-77 missile’s range and engagement capability, which proved ineffective against Pakistani F-16s during India’s Operation Sindoor and the Kashmir skirmish.
The Russian variant R-37M has a wider body, and China has extended PL-17’s mid-body strakes to accommodate more solid-fuel, thereby increasing range to 215 nautical miles (398 km) for a cruise glide profile at high altitude. At a lower altitude, the PL-17 missile will have reduced range and speed.
The Russian missile, fitted with the semi-active Agat 9B-1388 seeker, is replaced by a Chinese active seeker.
As is often the case with such images, the photo of the PL-17 appears authentic, but we cannot be certain of its authenticity. The image’s date and location are also unclear, but it depicts a PL-17 (more accurately, a full-size mock-up of one) on a display stand at a trade show or exhibition. A man poses in front of the missile, his face censored, while a board behind the weapon promotes the J-20 fighter.
As it seems, this is indeed the first legit image of the PLAAF’s ULR-AAM PL-17, even if it’s only a model.
We have become accustomed to ‘leaks’ out of China over many years when it comes to new military aircraft designs and their weaponry. Combined with the fact that the PL-17 was first publicly revealed in a blurry photo close to 10 years ago, its appearance at a tradeshow at this point might not be entirely surprising.
For its part, the PLAAF has published official imagery of the PL-17 (albeit showing the missile at a considerable distance, with no real detail visible). The release of the PLAAF photo, seen below, in 2023, was taken as confirmation that the missile was in operational service, or close to it, arming the J-16 Flanker.
The PLAAF image shows a formation of four J-16s with varying configurations of air-to-air missiles. Two of the fighters in question carry four PL-10s, one PL-12, four PL-15s, and one big PL-17. This loadout spans short- to very-long-range engagement envelopes, with the PL-17 providing greater range.
When the missile first appeared in public in 2016, it was referred to as PL-XX in the West; subsequently, the PL-20 designation was proposed, but PL-17 is now confirmed, at least based on the new photo. There are reports that the missile was assigned the Western reporting name CH-AA-12 Auger upon entering service.
From the start, the PL-17 was considered to be a very long-range AAM, based on its prodigious size, roughly 20 feet long. For a missile with this reach, key targets are likely high-value, larger assets, including tankers and airborne early warning aircraft.
In detail, the PL-17 features a dual-pulse rocket motor, while control is provided by four relatively small tail fins and a thrust-vectoring nozzle. Reportedly, the missile has a range of approximately 398km, although this estimate is subject to numerous factors, and the actual range can vary substantially with engagement conditions. It is thought to have a top speed of Mach 4.
Guidance is thought to be achieved through a combination of a two-way datalink and an active electronically scanned array (AESA) seeker. This could be especially useful against airborne early-warning radar aircraft.
However, using the PL-17 to its full potential, in terms of range, engagements would likely involve targeting data provided by standoff assets, such as friendly airborne early warning aircraft, a capability that China yet to develop, other aircraft closer to the target, ground and surface-based radar, or even satellites.
In the past, there had been speculation about a possible optical window on the missile’s nose that could indicate an additional infrared seeker, although there is no evidence of that in the full-size mock-up.
So far, the PL-17 has been observed only carried by the J-16, although it has been assumed that it would be adapted for external carriage on the J-20 as well.
Despite China’s boastful claims, PL-17 is a heavy missile that carries a 60kg warhead, which could limit the operational range and payload capacity of the J-10C or even the J-35 due to the low thrust-to-weight ratio of the Chinese-made WS-10B and WS-19 engines and less than 80 kilonewtons, raising significant questions about its operational capability.
The American-made AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, a 600km-range air-to-air missile, is in operational use with F-35, F-16, and Super Hornet fighter jets.
Last year, the U.S. Navy introduced, at least on a limited scale, an air-launched version of the Standard Missile-6 under the AIM-174B designation with 600km range. The range of this weapon is classified but should be far in excess of that of the AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile with 350km range. This would imply an ability to hit some types of aerial targets over hundreds of miles.
For now, many questions remain about the full capabilities and technical features of the PL-17. Should the new photo be genuine, however, it would confirm that Beijing is willing to expose at least some aspects of the big missile to a broader audience. With that in mind, we might well learn more about this weapon soon.
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