China's PL-10 advanced short range AAM

overscan (PaulMM)

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It seems we don't have a topic for this. Interesting design. Doesn't seem to have any design relationship to the Python-3 or the PL-9, which was very conservative in layout.

http://chinese-military-aviation.blogspot.com/p/missiles-i.html

A PL-10E AAM was on display in front of a PLAAF J-10B fighter at the 2016 Zhuhai Airshow. PL-10 (K/AKK-10?) is a new generation IIR-guided short-range missile in the same class of AIM-9X, ASRAAM, A-Darter, AAM-5 and IRIS-T. It features an IIR seeker (containing a 128x128 focal plane array?), a laser proximity fuze and TVC, giving the missile a 90° off-boresight angle and a max load of 55g. PL-10 possesses an excellent IRCCM capability against modern fighter aircraft maneuvering at high-gs. It also has a "lock-after-launch" capability, which could extend its range to BVR. When coupled with HMD, the missile allows the pilot to engage a target over his shoulder without maneuvering the aircraft extensively. Similar to AAM-5 and IRIS-T, the latest design (circa 2013) features 4 enlarged tail stabilizing fins plus 4 narrow stabilizing strips attached to the mid-section of the missile body, which help maintain missile's maneuverability at the terminal stage after the solid motor stops working. PL-10 has a length of 2.96m, diameter 0.16m, weight 105kg, max range 20km. The development of PL-10 started in 2005 with a different tail stabilizing fin design and a test round was launched from the ground in November 2008. The development was thought to be a success after the missile was test-fired from a CFTE J-11B in 2010, and subsequently it entered the initial production in 2013. PL-10 is expected to be carried by J-10B/C, J-11D and J-16 fighter bomber as well as internally by J-20 and FC-31 stealth fighters which are still under development. A recent rumor (September 2015) claimed that a PL-10 was test-fired successfully from a J-10C. PL-10 was offered for export as PL-10E at the 2016 Zhuhai Airshow. It was rumored that the next generation of short-range IIR-guided missile (PL-16?) is already under development.
 

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Note the different tailfin design on the first picture. This was much closer to the shape of the Japanese AAM-5 tailfin. The new design has a step in the rear edge which is a bit like the French MICA AAM.

The PL-10 is quite similar to R-73 in size and significantly larger in diameter than IRIS-T and AAM-5.
 

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PaulMM (Overscan) said:
Note the different tailfin design on the first picture. This was much closer to the shape of the Japanese AAM-5 tailfin. The new design has a step in the rear edge which is a bit like the French MICA AAM.

The PL-10 is quite similar to R-73 in size and significantly larger in diameter than IRIS-T and AAM-5.

It really does seem like they went through successive configurations, from the A-darter/asraam esque "PL-ASR" to the PL-10 that was seen on a chart with the various other missiles which showed midbody strakes for the first time and highly swept rear tails, and then they might have transitioned to the more cropped delta rear tail in the J-10AS photo above, and then eventually led to the current and final configuration with the rear tail having a step.
 
Ukraine's luch bureau had that k30 missile, no? That also bore some similarities to pl10.
 
PaulMM (Overscan) said:
Note the different tailfin design on the first picture. This was much closer to the shape of the Japanese AAM-5 tailfin. The new design has a step in the rear edge which is a bit like the French MICA AAM.

The PL-10 is quite similar to R-73 in size and significantly larger in diameter than IRIS-T and AAM-5.

Very interesting posts. The size and potential range of this missile is facinating when compared to many of its contemporaries, potentially having it closer to a IR MICA than the likes of the AIM-9X and IRST in terms of capability & role (into the BVR space if paired with a datalink).
A lot of the dimension in the article very close to those published for the IR MICA (identical diameters, very slightly shorter, weight similar but not as close as the other figures, reported range well down on the IR MICA).
However I may be speculating too far and possible the article is using MICA figures as part of "guess-timation".
 
Well, the basic missile configuration of fixed strake wings and tail fins for control dates back at least to the Convair RIM-2C Advanced Terrier from the 1950s and has been widely used e.g. Standard SAM, AAAM, Super 530, MICA.
 

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