Chinese air to air missiles

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Aval

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InsaneHum said:
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on Twitter is claiming that according to "his sources", the PL-16:
1. Has a smaller diameter than that of PL-15's and next gen fighters can carry more of them in its IWBs.
2. Can handle BVR, WVR and anti-radiation missions.
3. Has a dual-mode seeker with dual-band radar and IR imaging.
4. Improved dual-pulse engine with a TVC nozzle.
5. Range exceeding 300kms, maximum speed exceeding Mach 5. (Obviously just speculation)

We already know that the PL-16 is going to be an improvement over its predecessor, but I'm wondering if some of these claims here are plausible instead of being complete bogus. Have any of y'all heard similar things from top PLA watchers?
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InsaneHum said:
If points 2 and 3 are true, then the PLA might be looking to merge the PL-10's mission profile into a multirole missile instead. Could explain why there aren't side IWBs for the J-XDS.
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I wouldn't be so sure. There are some suspicious horizontally-aligned rectangular side-bays on the J-50. The bays are short, too short for PL-10s, but of an unideal shape for a maintenance hatch and so their function hasn't been confirmed yet. And they have a mysterious bulge on them.

Are there any rumours about a potential weapon system that might fit in such bays? Like tiny missiles for anti-drone work? Or even deployable/retractable DEW pods?
 
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bebops

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So the difference between pl16 vs pl15 is just the size? according to grok, pl16 is so compact that it fit 6 of them into the internal bay. it also said it has the same engine and achieve the same speed.

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ENTED64

Junior Member
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bebops said:
So the difference between pl16 vs pl15 is just the size? according to grok, pl16 is so compact that it fit 6 of them into the internal bay. it also said it has the same engine and achieve the same speed.
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No the difference is not just the size, at least not according to what rumors we have currently. We obviously don't know anything for certain because it's not publicly revealed but I can't imagine the only difference being the size, that would make no sense. At the very least the seeker would have been upgraded from PL-15 (just like they do in between batches of PL-15 probably). If you read the previous posts in this thread you'll see there are rumors of much more significant upgrades but I think the seeker being better is a pretty safe bet.
 
Alfa_Particle

Alfa_Particle

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Aval said:
I wouldn't be so sure. There are some suspicious horizontally-aligned rectangular side-bays on the J-50. The bays are short, too short for PL-10s, but of an unideal shape for a maintenance hatch and so their function hasn't been confirmed yet. And they have a mysterious bulge on them.

Are there any rumours about a potential weapon system that might fit in such bays? Like tiny missiles for anti-drone work? Or even deployable/retractable DEW pods?
Click to expand...
Or it could just be because the missile is fitted diagonally, so the hatch is shorter.
 
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