Welcome to Warn, Today News is China may have tested new 400-km range air-to-air
missile: Reports
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.
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