The PL-5 (霹雳-5)

air-to-air missile The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back) An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...

(PL stands for Pi Li, "Thunderbolt" in

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, the generic designation for all PRC air-to-air missiles) is a short-range,

Infrared homing Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...

missile used by Chinese

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

. It is based on

AA-2 Atoll The Vympel K-13 (NATO reporting name: AA-2 "Atoll") is a short-range, infrared homing air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is similar in appearance and function to the American AIM-9B Sidewinder from which it was reverse-engineer ...

technology and resembles the

AIM-9 Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has prov ...

. The PL-5 was designed and developed at China's Luoyang Electro-Optics Technology Development Centre (EOTDC), also known as Institute 612; its design team members included Chen Jiali (陈家礼), Dong Chunfeng, Hu Rongchao (胡荣超), Huang Bin, Zhang Ming (张明), and Zheng Zhiwei (郑志伟). It was reportedly produced at the Hanzhong Nanfeng Machine Factory (also known as the Hanzhong Air-to-Air Missile Factory) of the

China Aviation Industry Corporation I China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) was a Chinese consortium of aircraft manufacturers. The consortium was created on 1 July 1999 by splitting the state-owned consortium Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) into AVIC I and AVIC ...

. The PL-5 have been continuously upgraded by Luoyang and the latest variant, the PL-5EII, added a dual band, multi-element detector as well as a laser proximity fuse similar to the

PL-9 The PL-9 () is a short-range, infrared-homing air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by the People's Republic of China. History The PL-9 program was initiated in 1986. The missile entered batch production in 1989. Two improved variants, PL-9B and P ...

. According to the Chinese export/import agency

CATIC China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC, ) is a Chinese state-owned defense company with a core business in aviation products and technology. It is the exclusive representative of the Aviation Industry Corporation of Chin ...

, the PL5E has an all-aspect capability with the seeker having a maximum off boresight angle of ±25° before launch, and ±40° after launch. PLAAF J-10 and J-11 fighter jets mainly use the

PL-8 missile The PL-8 () is a Chinese air-to-air missile (AAM) originated from the Israeli Python-3 AAM. Experience gained from PL-8/Python-3 had helped China greatly in developing its next missile, the PL-9. Development and history The performance of Israe ...

, which is more advanced when compared to the PL-5. However, due to greater weight and dimensions of the PL-8 missile, for F-7 and

JH-7 The Xi'an JH-7 ( – fighter-bomber; NATO reporting name Flounder), also known as the FBC-1 (Fighter/Bomber China-1) Flying Leopard, is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine fighter-bomber in service with the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force ...

, the PL-5 is still the preferable air-to-air missile at this stage.

Operators

Current operators

* uses PL-5 and PL-5EII * PL-5B and PL-5EII * * * 900 ordered, PL-5E.Arms Transfers Database
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. * * * * 100 ordered, PL-5E. *

References

PL-5 SHORT-RANGE AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE, www.sinodefence.com

Air-to-air missiles of the People's Republic of China Military equipment introduced in the 1980s {{missile-stub