That one of the missiles fell into India’s hands is a disappointment for Beijing—particularly after its otherwise stellar performance in the brief war stunned the Western world.
Reports out of India indicate that the country has gotten its hands on an intact Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missile that was launched from either a Chinese-built J-10C or a J-17 warplane within the Pakistan Air Force.
This is a key development—and a silver lining for India after Pakistan ran roughshod over the Indian Air Force (IAF) during their opening attack at the start of the two nations’ four-day-long war. An American brokered ceasefire has stopped the war—at least for the time being.
By capturing an intact PL-15, the Indian military can now study this system, reverse-engineer their own if necessary, and develop important countermeasures to it. India might even be able to figure out ways to completely neuter these weapons before ever having to face them in combat again.
Why Didn’t the Captured PL-15 Explode?
According to Indian military sources, the PL-15 captured suffered from a tech issue—its self-destruct feature malfunctioned. Typically, when a missile is fired and it fails to find its target, it can activate a self-destruction sequence so that no rival can capture the errant missile and probe it for vulnerabilities.
That one of the missiles fell into India’s hands is a disappointment for Beijing—particularly after its otherwise stellar performance in the brief war stunned the Western world. During the war, the PL-15 became a major thorn in the side of the Indian Air Force, upstaging the more mature French- and Russian-provided weapons of the IAF.
Indian military scientists will now be able to glean key intelligence about the PL-15’s seeker, its datalink, its propulsion, and several other key technological factors in the development of this unique and dynamic Chinese-made air-to-air missile. Because of their acquisition of the PL-15, the IAF will learn how Chinese systems resist electronic jamming, too, which will allow for India to create important workarounds for this particular capability. In other words, better countermeasures will be developed against these Chinese systems.
More reports about the capture of the intact PL-15 by India suggest that the Indian military is going to reverse-engineer the advanced-electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker that guides the Chinese PL-15. The Indians have yet to indigenously develop such a capability. Now, however, they can simply copy the Chinese design and incorporate it into their own weapons—much as China did to develop its own modern weapons arsenals.
Indian leaders should be irate, notably at the French, for having sold them overpriced systems that underperformed in the war. The fact that they are now having to reverse-engineer the supposedly less advanced Chinese PL-15 missile and incorporate that technology into their own Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) systems is a testament to how corroded the Western defense-technological base has become.
The only thing, clearly, that many of these Western firms are riding on is their legacy of being great systems. But in today’s contested battlefield, cheaper Chinese systems can go toe to toe with—and apparently exceed—their Western counterparts.
In Defeat, One Silver Lining for India
The silver lining in the entire Indo-Pakistan conflict is that the Indians now know their weaknesses as they relate to Chinese military technology. Since China is one of two of India’s biggest regional rivals, and since India has already previously fought Chinese forces to a standstill in Ladakh, the Indians will be able to glean the secrets of the PL-15 just in time for whenever the Chinese decide to initiate hostilities with India once more.
An even more hopeful prospect is that the Indians will allow for the Americans to get a glimpse at the PL-15, too. The United States is on the edge of a major war with the People’s Republic of China over the fate of Taiwan—and American defense systems are certain to struggle against the kind of weapons that the Chinese forces will utilize against the Americans and their allies.
Washington needs some real, actionable technical intelligence on weapons like the PL-15 as the two great powers size each other up and prepare for the big fight. India, in this way, has done the West an immense favor by capturing the PL-15. Let us hope both New Delhi and Washington can learn its secrets before it is too late.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
