Reports on the air war between India and Pakistan in recent days suggest what may well be the most intense series of aerial engagements for decades. While it’s still very hard to obtain confirmed details of this combat, which some sources state has involved more than a hundred fighters simultaneously, we do, at least, know what kinds of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) are available to the Indian and Pakistan Air Forces. Already prominent among these is the Chinese-made PL-15, with wreckage of at least two examples of this weapon having been uncovered. You can read more about the implications of the first use of the PL-15 in our recent story on the subject.
Pakistani security sources have posted claims of five Indian Air Force fighters shot down, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif boasting that the Pakistan Air Force had blown the five Indian jets to “smithereens.” Of these supposed aerial kills, Pakistani sources have claimed the destruction of no fewer than three Rafale multirole fighters. So far, there are reports of one Rafale shootdown confirmed by a high-ranking French intelligence official, speaking to CNN, with French authorities meanwhile looking into possible further Rafale losses. Imagery allegedly showing the wreckage of one Rafale — single-seater serial BS-001, the first Rafale EH to be delivered to India — has been posted on social media.
Meanwhile, another senior Pakistani security source has described to CNN a large-scale air battle involving 125 jets, fighting for over an hour, in which time the aircraft remained in their respective airspaces and lobbed AAMs at each other from long distances.
As well as crewed fighters, Pakistan has also made extensive claims on the destruction of Indian drones. Earlier today, Pakistan said it had downed 25 Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions. One of these drones was able to “partially” engage a target near the city of Lahore, injuring four army personnel, according to Pakistan Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
So far, India’s government has neither confirmed nor denied any of these losses. The use of Chinese-made AAMs by the Pakistan Air Force has also been capitalized on by Beijing, leading to the Indian embassy in China accusing Chinese state media of “disinformation.”
Overall, a significant degree of confusion is very much typical when dealing with engagements that have been happening in the heat of combat. A flood of official and unofficial claims and counterclaims, some of them outlandish, is also to be expected, especially when dealing with social media. So, we should keep an open mind about the results of these aerial confrontations and consider that accidents, as well as friendly fire incidents, are also very possible. At the same time, Indian and Pakistani ground-based air defense systems have very likely also played a significant role, and any aircraft losses could also be the result of surface-to-air missile engagements.
Nevertheless, AAMs are clearly a hugely important factor in the air war. The following roundup looks at the major weapons in this class used by both sides in the conflict. While the information provided is as accurate as possible, for any AAM, performance — especially range — and overall reliability are highly dependent on a variety of factors, including the track of the target and the height and speed of the launch aircraft. The overall diversity of missile types and suppliers is especially noteworthy, with both countries having sourced AAMs from different nations. On the one hand, this is part of keeping ahead of the opposition, but it is also intended to secure supply lines, should access to certain technologies be cut off, especially in times of tension or conflict. In the same way, India, for example, has consistently procured fighters from both the Soviet Union (now Russia) and from Western manufacturers.
INDIA
ASRAAM
The heat-seeking MBDA AIM-132 ASRAAM (Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile) is a notably capable dogfighting weapon, which has also come to greater prominence recently due to its use in the war in Ukraine, where it’s been successfully adapted for surface launch.
Weighing a little under 200 pounds and measuring 9 feet 6 inches long, the ASRAAM is broadly analogous to the AIM-9X Sidewinder, but with some performance differences. In particular, it reportedly has an unusually long maximum range for a weapon in its class. Indeed, unconfirmed accounts assess it can engage targets out to as far as 31 miles, although it’s more usually attributed with a range of more than 15 miles.
The missile’s infrared seeker provides a high off-boresight (HOBS) acquisition envelope.
India selected the ASRAAM for its upgraded Jaguar ground-attack aircraft and also integrated it on the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). The Hawk Mk 132 advanced jet trainer, which has a secondary combat capability, can also use ASRAAM, although it’s unclear if these are issued operationally.
Astra
Currently only known to be carried by the Su-30MKI, the Astra is India’s first homegrown beyond-visual-range AAM. Developed by the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO), the missile is a product of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
According to the DRDO, the Astra is capable of engaging highly maneuvering and supersonic targets at a range of up to 61 miles and flies at a speed of Mach 4.5. The missile features inertial guidance, midcourse updates via datalink, and an active radar seeker for the terminal phase (the active seeker is activated around eight miles from the target). The missile is claimed to offer a significant degree of electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) to avoid hostile jamming.
Astra is also planned to be integrated on the Tejas Mk 1A and the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K.
Derby
Within the Indian Air Force, the Israeli-made Rafael Derby is used exclusively by the Tejas. The Derby ER (Extended Range) version used by India can hit targets at a claimed maximum range of up to 61 miles, putting it in the same class as the locally developed Astra. The Derby ER also employs inertial guidance, midcourse updates via datalink, and an active radar seeker for the terminal phase.
Rafael advertises the Derby ER as having a “full-sphere launch envelope,” meaning that it can be used to engage targets in the aft hemisphere, as well as in the forward sectors. The missile has a stated range of around 25 miles against targets in the aft hemisphere. For these kinds of engagements, the missile would be fired in lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) mode, beginning its flight under inertial control, with a datalink allowing the launch aircraft to provide target updates during missile flight, before achieving an in-flight lock-on.
Tipping the scales at 260 pounds, the Derby ER is relatively light for a beyond-visual-range AAM, making it well suited to the diminutive Tejas. For larger fighters, however, the Indian Air Force has apparently chosen to stick with Russian-made AAMs and the locally developed Astra to tackle beyond-visual-range targets.
Meteor
The most capable beyond-visual-range AAM in the Indian Air Force inventory is the MBDA Meteor, which was acquired as part of New Delhi’s deal to buy Rafale multirole combat aircraft.
As we have discussed in detail in the past, the pan-European Meteor is distinguished by its novel ramjet propulsion system. This kind of motor can be throttled during different phases of flight. This means it still has sufficient energy during the terminal attack — when traditional air-to-air missile motors are normally losing energy and, therefore, agility.
Thanks to its ramjet motor, the Meteor’s all-important ‘no-escape zone’ is much larger than for comparable weapons. This means the enemy’s chance of evading the missile at the endgame of the engagement, using high-energy maneuvering, is considerably reduced. Another advantage of being able to throttle the motor is that the Meteor’s autopilot can calculate the most efficient route to the target for very long-range shots.
The Meteor is also one of the longest-ranged Western AAMs, likely being able to engage targets out to around 130 miles.
As well as an active radar seeker for the terminal phase, the Meteor has a two-way datalink. This provides the missile with in-flight updates as it flies out to the target, while the pilot in the launch aircraft can use the datalink to get information on the Meteor’s fuel, energy, and tracking state. That can help determine if and when to fire another, disengage, or even assign a different target of opportunity.
MICA
The other AAM used on India’s French-made fighters is the MICA, arming both the Rafale and the older Mirage 2000.
Unusual for a modern Western beyond-visual-range AAM, the MICA can be fitted with either an active radar seeker or an infrared seeker head. When using the latter option, the seeker can act as a ‘poor man’s’ infrared search and track system and provide target detection indication in the pilot’s head-up display (HUD).
The MICA uses a thrust-vectoring motor for improved agility and has a reported maximum range of around 37 miles.
Python 5
The infrared-guided Rafael Python 5 is the latest member of a family of dogfight missiles that Israel began to develop in the late 1970s.
While early iterations of the Python missile were simpler, short-range heat-seeking weapons, later versions were designed to be used with a helmet-mounted sight, namely successive iterations of Elbit’s Display and Sight Helmet System (DASH). As well as having the ability to be slaved to the radar during the early part of the engagement, the Python seeker can be directed to nearly wherever the pilot’s head and helmet are pointed.
The Python 5’s immediate predecessor, the Python 4, appeared in the early 1990s and is reported to have a 60-degree high off-boresight (HOBS) capability during close-quarters combat and maneuver at up to 70g; it is also said it can make a 180-degree turn after launch to intercept a target behind the launch aircraft. It also introduced a dual-waveband imaging infrared (IIR) seeker and infrared counter-countermeasures (IRCCM).
The Python 5 adds further improvements, including a new seeker that is understood to provide better performance against drones.
The Python 5 was acquired by India, together with the Derby ER, to arm the Tejas.
R-27
Known to NATO as the AA-10 Alamo, the Vympel R-27 was developed by the Soviet Union from the mid-1970s to arm the MiG-29 and Su-27.
The first two versions that entered production in 1983 are the semi-active radar-homing R-27R and the infrared-guided R-27T. The R-27R uses inertial navigation with mid-course radio corrections during the first 30 seconds of flight, with semi-active radar guidance for the terminal phase (requiring illumination by the fighter’s radar). The R-27T has a passive infrared seeker and launches only after the seeker has been locked onto the target.
Longer-range versions of these weapons were also produced by adding a more powerful dual-pulse engine section. These are the radar-guided R-27ER and the infrared-guided R-27ET.
The maximum range of the R-27T is reportedly 37 miles, and 31 miles for the R-27T. The extended-range versions are able to hit targets at a maximum range of 59 miles (R-27ER) or 56 miles (R-27ET).
A version of the R-27 with a passive radar seeker was also developed, but is not understood to have been acquired by India.
Despite its age, the R-27 is still a primary weapon for the Indian MiG-29 and Su-30MKI.
R-73
The Vympel R-73, known in the West as the AA-11 Archer, entered Soviet service in 1983 and quickly became regarded as a very capable short-range AAM. Its combination of an all-aspect infrared seeker, high off-boresight capability, thrust-vectoring controls, and the fact it could be cued by the pilot’s helmet-mounted sight made it an immediate threat and ensured it would be an influential design.
Today, the R-73’s advantage has been eroded by the appearance of the AIM-9X Sidewinder, successive versions of the Israeli Python, the ASRAAM, and others.
Nevertheless, the R-73 remains a very potent close-air combat missile, with a maximum range of around 18.6 miles against a head-on target, or 8.7 miles in a tail-on engagement.
In Indian Air Force service, the R-73 is issued to MiG-21 Bison, MiG-29, and Su-30MKI units.
R-77
Assigned the NATO reporting name AA-12 Adder, the Vympel R-77 was developed as the Soviet counterpart of the AIM-120 AMRAAM. First test-launched in 1984, it eventually entered service in 1994. Ultimately, the original R-77 saw only limited production for Russia, with most examples being completed for export.
The missile is typically launched under inertial guidance, with midcourse updates provided by datalink, before using its active radar seeker for the terminal phase. Reportedly, the R-77 can switch to a passive radar homing mode if it encounters heavy electronic countermeasures, engaging the source of the jamming.
The basic R-77 has a reported maximum range of 50 miles.
The Indian Air Force uses the R-77 to arm the MiG-21 Bison, MiG-29, and Su-30MKI.
PAKISTAN
While India sources its AAMs primarily from Europe and Russia, as well as increasingly undertaking local development, Pakistan primarily relies on Chinese-made missiles for its Chinese-developed fighters, while mainly U.S.-made weapons arm its F-16 fleet.
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The classic Sidewinder infrared-guided AAM remains the short-range weapon of choice for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet. While Pakistan hasn’t received the latest AIM-9X, it continues to use the all-aspect AIM-9L as well as the older AIM-9P version.
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The primary beyond-visual-range AAM for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet is the AIM-120C-5 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), a weapon that first began to be delivered to the U.S. military in 1996. Overall, the AMRAAM is the most proven missile in its class.
With the introduction of the longer-range AIM-120C-7, as well as the even longer-legged AIM-120D, the AIM-120C-5 is no longer quite as cutting edge as when it first appeared: it also lacks the two-way datalink and third-party targeting capabilities found on the D-model, for example.
Nevertheless, the AIM-120C is still very capable and also offers some significant advantages over the earlier AIM-120A/B models. Even in its most basic, first sub-generation form, enhancements in range, guidance, resistance to countermeasures, and more are significant.
According to data from one of its operators, the AIM-120C-5 provides a maximum range of around 46 miles.
The big question around Pakistan’s AMRAAM — and its F-16 fleet more broadly — is whether it would employ them in a confrontation of this kind with the Indian Air Force.
Pakistan has a fleet of around 76 F-16s, which are a mix of A/B Air Defense Fighter (ADF), AM/BM Mid-Life Update (MLU), and Block 52 C/D models. These include jets acquired directly from the United States and second-hand sources. Other batches of the aircraft have, in the past, been placed under embargo by Washington, blocking their delivery.
Back in 2019, during clashes between the Indian and Pakistan Air Forces, India publicly showed portions of an AIM-120C-5 as evidence that the F-16s were involved in some way. New Delhi also said it had “irrefutable evidence” that a Pakistani F-16 had been shot down by a MiG-21 Bison. Meanwhile, Pakistan denied that its F-16s, which are its only aircraft capable of carrying AMRAAMs, participated in the fighting and denied any related losses.
Regardless, there is a major political dimension to Pakistan using its F-16s against India.
Over the years, there has been significant U.S. political opposition to selling F-16s to Pakistan at all from members of Congress, for various reasons, chiefly allegations that its state security apparatus is at least complicit in various terrorist activities, if it is not supporting them outright. With this in mind, Pakistan may think twice about using its F-16s against India to avoid restrictions on future military aid from the United States.
With a growing fleet of Chinese-designed combat aircraft, armed with Chinese-made AAMs, the option of Pakistan keeping its F-16s out of any confrontation with India is also becoming more realistic.
Magic
The French-made Matra Magic 2 infrared-guided AAM is broadly analogous to the AIM-9L and can be used by Pakistan’s F-16s as an alternative to the U.S.-made weapon. It is also used to arm the older F-7PG and Mirage 3/5 fighter fleets, although it is unlikely that these jets would be exposed to combat with the Indian Air Force, bearing in mind their more limited capabilities.
PL-5 and PL-9
The Chinese-made PL-5 dogfight missile has its origins in the 1960s, although it only entered production in 1982, emerging as something of a clone of the AIM-9. The first version to enter service was the infrared-guided PL-5B, superseded in the mid-1980s by the improved PL-5C, and finally the PL-5E-II in the early 1990s. This last model is likely the one used by Pakistan, and it reportedly has much-improved high-off-boresight capabilities (an off-boresight angle of +/-25 degrees before launch), conferring all-aspect performance. It also features a laser proximity fuse.
The PL-9, meanwhile, is another Chinese-made infrared-guided AAM, and a design that was produced exclusively for export, development starting in the mid-1980s. While based on the same missile body as the earlier PL-5 and PL-7, the PL-9 differs in its use of an all-aspect infrared seeker.
While the PL-5E-II is primarily associated with the JF-17, the PL-9 is understood to arm the F-7PG, a type that remains in only limited operational service with the Pakistan Air Force.
PL-12
China began work on the PL-12 in the early 1990s as a response to the AMRAAM. As such, the beyond-visual-range missile features active radar homing, as well as a datalink for mid-course updates.
Reports suggest that the PL-12 uses a variable-thrust rocket motor to ensure speed and maneuverability across the flight envelope, and that the Chinese military considers it superior to the AIM-120B and the Russian R-77, although marginally less capable than the AIM-120C.
According to official specifications, the PL-12 has a range of between 44 and 62 miles, reduced to 37-44 miles for the export-configured SD-10. The U.K.’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) defense think tank assesses that the PL-12’s range “sits somewhere between the AIM-120B and AIM-120C-5.”
The PL-12 — or, more properly, the SD-10 export version — arms Pakistan’s JF-17 and J-10C.
PL-15
China’s PL-15 beyond-visual-range AAM was developed as the follow-on to the PL-12, reportedly intended to at least match the performance of the AIM-120D.
Most significantly, the new missile employs a dual-pulse rocket motor that helps boost its range to a reported 124 miles. A two-way datalink provides guidance updates to the missile and the launching aircraft, and the seeker uses active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology, with active and passive modes, and it’s also said to have better resistance to countermeasures.
The PL-15 likely began development around 2011 and, as well as replacing the PL-12 across China’s fighter fleet, it has also been offered for export under the PL-15E name. Pakistan became the first customer for the PL-15E to arm its JF-17 and J-10C fighters.
Published performance figures for the PL-15E include a range of 90 miles, somewhat less than for the domestic version.
RUSI determines that the PL-15 “out-ranges the US-made AIM-120C/D AMRAAM series and has a comparable maximum range to the Meteor.” The same source notes, however, that the pan-European Meteor likely has a much larger no-escape zone and better long-range kill probability thanks to its ramjet motor. Regardless, the PL-15 provides Pakistan with a weapon that is at least comparable to the most capable AAMs employed by India.
Of the missiles profiled, the PL-15 is the only one so far confirmed to have been used during the current hostilities. So far, wreckage of the missile has been identified in at least two locations, although the outcomes of the engagements remain unknown.
Between them, India and Pakistan clearly have access to a wide variety of AAMs, many of which are highly capable — at least on paper.
However, whatever their potential, air-to-air missiles will only ever be one part of securing a successful aerial engagement. Equally important are the respective sides’ abilities to harness the advantages of training, networking, airborne early warning, electronic warfare, tactics, and many other factors. Ultimately, whatever happens in the ongoing standoff between India and Pakistan, it will be these elements that determine the wider fortunes of the respective air forces.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
