PL-10

PL-10
A J-20 with PL-10 missiles visible, extended from the side weapons bay.
Type	Short-range air-to-air missile
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	2015−present
Production history
Manufacturer	Luoyang Electro-Optics Technology Development Centre (EOTDC)
Produced	2013−present
Specifications
Length	3.0 m (9 ft 10 in)1
Diameter	160 mm (6.3 in)2
Warhead	Blast-frag, or expanding rod (RF-fuse)
Detonation mechanism	Laser proximity fuze and impact
Engine	Thrust-vectoring solid-propellant rocket
Guidance system	Multi-element imaging infrared (IIR)3 Active radar seeker
Launch platform	Aircraft

The PL-10 (Chinese: 霹雳-10; pinyin: Pī Lì-10; lit. 'Thunderbolt-10', NATO reporting name: CH-AA-9⁴), formerly known as PL-ASR (stands for PiLi-Advanced Short Range),⁵⁶ is a short-range, infrared-homing / active radar homing air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by the People's Republic of China.⁷

Development of the PL-10 began in 2004. The design was approved in 2010 and it entered production in 2013.⁷ The chief designer was Liang Xiaogeng (梁晓庚) of the Shanghai Academy of Science and Technology.⁷ Pictures of the PL-10, then known as the PL-ASR, appeared on the Chinese internet in 2008.⁵

The PL-10 may be partially based on the South African A-Darter AAM.⁷ It uses an imaging infrared (IIR) sensor; these generally improve detection range and resistance to countermeasures.⁸ The PL-10E has all-aspect targeting capability using an IIR sensor that images the entire target.⁷ The seeker is reportedly very resistant to jamming and electronic countermeasures.⁹

The IIR seeker may track targets +/-90 degree off boresight angles.⁸ It may be slaved to a helmet-mounted display (HMD);¹⁰ the missile may be fired at a target that is visually sighted by the pilot ("look and shoot") and outside the aircraft's radar scan envelope.¹¹ The missile may lock-on after launch (LOAL)¹² and receive targeting data through a datalink while in flight.⁸

Flight is controlled by a thrust-vector controlled solid rocket motor and free-moving control wings on the missile's tail,¹³ which facilitate the missile to achieve turn capability of over 60Gs and high angles of attack.⁷

According to the assessment by Royal United Services Institute, the PL-10 provides comparable performance to European ASRAAM and IRIS-T missiles, while offering superior kinematic performances against AIM-9X.¹² According to aviation researcher Justin Bronk, the overall capability of the PL-10 reaches an approximate parity with Western systems and surpasses Russian technologies.¹²

PL-10

Original version

PL-10E

Export version. The first potential buyer was Pakistan, for use with its JF-17 Block III program.¹⁴

PL-10 Active Radar

A PL-10 variant replacing the IIR seeker with a miniature active radar. It features a new radome, improving aerodynamic efficiency and range. The variant was first observed in 2022.¹⁵