Chinese Missiles News & Discussions

serenity · Jun 6, 2023

Faceless said:
Can you please explain in more detail, were both pl21 and pl15 being developed at the same time and plaaf preferred pl15 over pl21 and now development of this ramjet based missile is dropped.

And what is this PL17, it seems like a very long range (500km range) AAM for slow moving target using dual or triple pulse

Yeah the rumor is that the ramjet powered AAMs were developed in the 2000s and tested in 2010s alongside the dual pulse ones and dual pulse ones were eventually selected over ramjet powered AAMs could be due to complexity or could be due to having better fuel technologies that made the rocket powered ones win over.

CL20 recently announced to have been synthesized to 5x the energy density as it was in the past. CL20 mass production in the 2010s and now with even public announcement of improved types of this explosive basis forming better missile propellant, it's possible this has something to do with rocket based AAMs having longer legs. Also ramjet would add cost and complexity and reduced reliability unless for multistage AAMs that basically are cruise missile AAMs. In the meantime, PLAAF seems to have favored PL-15 and PL-21 or PL-17 long thin LRAAM over ramjet powered AAMs. Even the ramjet powered anti-ship missiles will eventually be phased out in favor of newer types but still these YJ-12 and air launched ramjet powered ARM are the last two remaining major type platform still using ramjet.

Also PL-17 is 500km? Who said? Seems too long ranged unless launched from absolute ridiculous height at like mach 2.5 or more.

Faceless · Jun 6, 2023

serenity said:
Yeah the rumor is that the ramjet powered AAMs were developed in the 2000s and tested in 2010s alongside the dual pulse ones and dual pulse ones were eventually selected over ramjet powered AAMs could be due to complexity or could be due to having better fuel technologies that made the rocket powered ones win over.

CL20 recently announced to have been synthesized to 5x the energy density as it was in the past. CL20 mass production in the 2010s and now with even public announcement of improved types of this explosive basis forming better missile propellant, it's possible this has something to do with rocket based AAMs having longer legs. Also ramjet would add cost and complexity and reduced reliability unless for multistage AAMs that basically are cruise missile AAMs. In the meantime, PLAAF seems to have favored PL-15 and PL-21 or PL-17 long thin LRAAM over ramjet powered AAMs. Even the ramjet powered anti-ship missiles will eventually be phased out in favor of newer types but still these YJ-12 and air launched ramjet powered ARM are the last two remaining major type platform still using ramjet.

Also PL-17 is 500km? Who said? Seems too long ranged unless launched from absolute ridiculous height at like mach 2.5 or more.

Oh, thanks for the clarification.
About the PL 17 one, I wrote about the range from the back of my head, so I could be wrong, don't mind me.
However somebody had told me about that in a forum a few years back, he referenced some London based defence think tank.