Chinese J-10A armed with PL-12 missile is far superior to French Rafale armed with MICA missile
PL-12 / SD-10A on display at Datangshan in 2010 (Zhenguan Studio, © 2010, Air Power Australia).
A MICA EM missile (top) and MICA IR (bottom), displayed at Farnborough in 1998 (Duncan Lennox)
1. The Chinese PL-12 air-to-air missile has
higher potential energy in combat. The Chinese J-10A has a service ceiling of 18,000m. The French Rafale has a lower service ceiling of 16,800m. For combat, the same missile launched at a higher altitude (such as 18,000m) will fly further.
2. The Chinese PL-12 missile has
higher kinetic energy in combat. A missile fired from a Mach 2.2 J-10A will fly much further than a missile fired from a much slower Mach 1.8 Rafale. The J-10A has a faster "maximum speed of Mach 2.2 at altitude" than the significantly slower "Mach 1.8+" for the French Rafale.
3.
The Chinese PL-12 missile is significantly larger in size and can carry more rocket propellant. More rocket fuel means greater range.
Chinese PL-12 missile has a volume of 3.7m x pi x (0.1m^2) = 0.116 cubic meters
French MICA missile has a volume of 3.1m x pi x (0.08m^2) = 0.062 cubic meters
In conclusion, the Chinese PL-12 has almost twice the volume of the much smaller French Rafale missile.
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PL-12 | GlobalSecurity
"The missile is thought to correspond to the PL-12 designation, which is also associated with the SD-10 designation, possibly for export purposes. Like the basic R-77, Project 129 appears to have a body diameter of 200 mm., with a length of around 3.7 meters (12.1 ft.)."
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Mica RF - Deagel
"Mica RF
IOC: 1996
Also Known As: Mica EM
Origin: France
Contractor/s: MBDA
Dimensions
Diameter: 160 millimeter
Length: 3.10 meter"
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China's J-10A Vigorous Dragon is superior to French Rafale
China's J-10A flies higher, faster, and carry longer-range PL-12 AAM (air-to-air missile) than French Rafale.
The J-10A carries four PL-12 missiles with 70+ km range that can easily shoot down a French Rafale carrying shorter 50km range MICA missiles.
The J-10A has a service ceiling of 18,000m. The French Rafale has a lower service ceiling of 16,800m. For combat, the same missile launched at a higher altitude (such as 18,000m) will fly further.
For within-visual-range (WVR) combat, a J-10A can circle above and swoop down with guns blazing on a helpless French Rafale. On the other hand, a French Rafale cannot engage a high-flying J-10A at 18,000m (which is 1,200m beyond the French Rafale's service ceiling).
The J-10A can carry four PL-12 beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles with 70+ km range. However, the MICA missile carried by the French Rafale has a much shorter 50km range (according to GlobalSecurity).
There is an alternative citation for a higher 100km range for the PL-12 (see
International Assessment and Strategy Center > Research > The Air Balance on the Taiwan Strait).
The J-10A has a faster "maximum speed of Mach 2.2 at altitude" than the significantly slower "Mach 1.8+" for the French Rafale. This means the J-10A can fire its four PL-12 missiles at a French Rafale at 60km and fly home safely. The French Rafale's slower speed means it cannot chase down a J-10A.
The final point is the deadliness of China's PL-12 missiles.
Advanced but Unproved Chinese BVR Medium Range Missile SD-10
"Its seven recent test firings all hit the targets.
...
Experts believe that domestic SD-10's performance has surpassed the U.S. AIM-120A/B, Russian R-77 and the French MICA (Missile d'Interception et de Combat Aerien), etc., and close to the AIM-120C."
[Note: PL-12/SD-10 refers to the same missile.]
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References (for Wikipedia articles, see primary source footnotes):
Chengdu J-10 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dassault Rafale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mica | GlobalSecurity
Successful firing test of new dual pulse solid rocket motor：
