A Pakistani J-10CE fighter is said to have shot down an Indian Rafale aircraft from a distance of around 200 kilometers using an air-to-air missile of the PL-15 type.
The assessment appears from a study published by the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSSIAN), based on statements by Pakistani government officials.
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According to the report, the air battles between Pakistani and Indian forces during Operation Sindor in May 2025 provided a relevant — albeit still incomplete — insight into the combat capabilities of aircraft and missiles from the People’s Liberation Army of China, compared to Western and Russian platforms.
The study indicates that at least one Rafale of the Indian Air Force was shot down during a series of long-range engagements. In addition, a Su-30MKI-fighters have been shot down, and there are indications that another two or three Indian planes may have been hit.
According to RUSI, the destruction of an air target at a distance of around 200 kilometers is considered extremely rare in aerial combat. The effective range of an air-to-air missile depends on several factors, including the speed and altitude of the launching aircraft, the target’s motion parameters, and the geometry of the engagement.
Although the officially stated range for the export version of the PL-15E is around 145 kilometers, the analyzed data suggests that the hits may have occurred at a significantly greater distance. This difference may indicate that Pakistan has used a non-export version of the PL-15, with a stated range of between 200 and 300 kilometers.
Pakistani trade publications have previously reported that China, around one week before hostilities began, should have transferred a batch of missiles to the country directly from its own military stockpiles, which were not subject to export restrictions.
The PL-15 was originally developed to arm it Chinese stealth fighter J-20which influenced the more compact design of the missile body to enable placement in internal weapons bays. The missile uses an active radar-seeking guidance system and has a two-way data link, which enables course updates from the launch aircraft as well as transmission of telemetry data in flight.
The extended range is achieved through a dual impulse solid rocket motor, designed to maintain high kinetic energy in the final phase of the trajectory, increasing the probability of hitting maneuvering targets at long ranges.
Source: Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI). This content has been created with the help of KI and reviewed by the editors.
