....this time, both countries deployed types of weapons they haven’t used against each other before, such as drones and loitering munitions in large numbers, making the outcome more unpredictable.

Technological changes on the battlefield are changing the way in which conflicts precipitate, said Harsh Pant, a visiting professor at the King’s College India Institute and vice president of the foreign policy program at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

https://www.wsj.com/world/india/india-and-pakistan-step-up-attacks-...

The recent battle between Pakistani and Indian forces ended in an unambiguous victory for Pakistan.

By Brandon J. Weichert

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-chinese-missiles-routed-...

China’s PL-15 is an active radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile. Designed by the Luoyang-based China Airborne Missile Academy (CAMA), it serves as a beyond-visual-range (BVR), weapon for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force, and the Pakistani Air Force.

First test-fired in 2011, China’s PL-15 was first spotted in 2013 mounted on a Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” fifth-generation warplane. The missile entered service between 2015 and 2017. Within the Pakistan Air Force, the PL-15 is equipped on their Chinese-produced JF-17 Block III warplanes, as well as the J-10CE fighters—the class of warplane that, according to initial reports, shot down all those IAF birds.

The PL-15 is designed to engage high-value targets like airborne early warning and control aircraft, tankers, and fighters at extended ranges, replacing the older PL-12 missile as the standard BVR missile for Chinese and Pakistani forces. The missile employs a dual-use solid-fuel rocket motor, though its export variant, the PL-15E—likely used in the dogfight on Wednesday—uses a slightly different propellant or motor. Some sources argue that the PL-15s can achieve speeds of up to Mach 5, though this is unconfirmed.

Most analysts believe that the Chinese domestic PL-15 model is equivalent to the Anglo-French MBDA Meteor missile. It is also meant to compete against the U.S.-made AIM-120D AMRAAM. In fact, China’s creation of the PL-15 likely prompted the U.S. military to create the AIM-260 and the AIM-174B to counter it.





These missiles feature hybrid guidance systems, including the Inertial Navigation System (INS) along with a mid-course two-way datalink for updates from the launching aircraft or airborne command and control planes. There is an onboard active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker with active and passive modes for terminal homing, offering high precision and resistance to countermeasures.

Folding fins designed for an internal carriage in stealth aircraft, such as the J-20, are one of the defining features of this missile. The PL-15E variant has folding rear fins to increase internal payload capacity; this gives it a reduced range compared to its domestic PL-15 Chinese cousin.

Pakistan Won Using China’s Defense Technology
Nevertheless, the Pakistanis have deployed this system with lethal impact in their growing conflict with India. Their successful engagement downing five IAF warplanes is a tremendous blow to the IAF, as well as to India’s military. While any military engaging in a near-peer conflict can expect large numbers of its airplanes to be damaged or destroyed, the fact of the matter is that the Pakistanis were not supposed to be this effective.

It is still the earliest phase of the conflict, and further clashes are likely. India, at least on paper, has many advantages over their Pakistani neighbors. But the successful attacks by the Pakistani planes indicate that Islamabad is playing for keeps. What’s more, it is a warning to the Americans that Chinese missile technology should not be underestimated—especially as the Americans and Chinese circle each other for a future battle over Taiwan.