Amid increasing hostilities between India and Pakistan, a missile wreckage believed to be a Chinese-origin PL-15 BVR missile has been recovered from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, India, on May 9.
Interestingly, Pakistan claimed to have shot down Indian combat jets, including Rafale fighters, using the PL-15 missile.
This is reportedly the second instance of a PL-15 wreckage found inside the country since the hostilities began after India conducted strikes on terror camps inside Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor.
Notably, this is the first time the missile has been recovered near intact.
The Chinese-origin missile is compatible with the Pakistani Air Force’s (PAF) J-10C and JF-17 fighter jets, making it hard to ascertain which aircraft it was launched from. However, the missile would likely have travelled more than 100 kilometers before falling in a field in Hoshiarpur.
The Indian government has not officially acknowledged the recovery, even though it has accused Pakistan of targeting civilian and military infrastructure using drones and missiles, on the intervening night of May 8 and 9.
Earlier, reports suggested that China urgently delivered the missile to Pakistan as tensions started to soar after the Pahalgam attack. In fact, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) earlier released pictures of its latest JF-17 Block III fighter aircraft armed with PL-15 days ahead of Operation Sindoor.
Thus, the hype surrounding this missile has been unparalleled, making the latest wreckage discovery even more interesting.
Fully intact Chinese PL-15 long range air-to-air missile recovered from Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Obviously fired from a PAF jet, likely a JF-17—Failed to detonate.
Yesterday HQ-9B AD system gets smoked in Lahore by an 🇮🇳Harop, now this. Tells you a bit about Chinese weapons quality🥲 pic.twitter.com/PUfTHSTILA
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) May 9, 2025
Squadron Leader Vijainder K. Thakur, an Indian Air Force veteran and a regular contributor to the EurAsian Times, said the missile was found intact, suggesting its self-destruct mechanism did not work.
“It is a tech bonanza for India and its allies. The missile has tech issues because the self-destruct didn’t work. It could have other issues. It’s not a mature weapon.”
The recovery of the undetonated missile could be a goldmine for India. Indian engineers and scientists will now likely unpack the missile, allowing an insight into the latest Chinese technology used in one of its most advanced air-to-air missiles.
India would be able to study the missile’s propulsion, seeker, and datalink, among other things. Moreover, it would allow India to gain an understanding of how this Chinese-origin missile resists electronic jamming, giving further insight into how to redesign its own countermeasures to intercept the missile.
When asked how this will benefit India and what components it would be most interested in, Thakur said, “It has an AESA seeker, which India is yet to develop. Also, its dual pulse motor may interest DRDO, though DRDO has developed its own.”
India could use this technology to reverse engineer the Chinese missile, or to develop more advanced Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM).
However, beyond that, it is a massive boost for the Indian military. Besides being used by Pakistan, the missile is also equipped on China’s fighter jets, including the J-10C and the fifth-generation J-20 Mighty Dragon.
Since China is perceived as one of India’s two biggest security threats due to the perpetual border conflict, getting hold of one of its primary long-range weapons is indeed a bonanza. It will allow India to build capability for air-to-air combat with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Some experts and journalists, including Vishnu Som, floated the possibility of the missile being examined by the United States, which also remains at odds with China. However, it is a far-fetched prediction now, especially since the US Vice President J.D. Vance has distanced his country from the India-Pakistan clash.
This is also reminiscent of a similar incident concerning a US Black Hawk chopper, which crashed in Pakistan in 2011 during a US operation against Osama Bin Laden.
Soon after the raid, allegations surfaced that Pakistan had allowed Chinese engineers to examine the wreckage of the stealth Black Hawk. As per reports, Chinese officials were permitted to take photographs and samples of the components used in the Black Hawk.
If India decides to share the information with the US, it would be a full circle moment.
The Chinese-origin PL-15 Missile
The discovery of the missile is significant as it comes amid Pakistani claims that its J-10C, equipped with the PL-15E missile, shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale fighter jets.
Pakistani officials have endorsed the PL-15 as a formidable weapon that outmatches the Rafale and Meteor (BVR missile) combination.
A retired Pakistani official, Air Commodore Farooq, recently emphasized the “first-look, first-shot” capability of a J-10C equipped with a PL-15, claiming the J-10CE’s AESA radar and its PL-15E missile outmatch the Rafale’s RBE2 AESA radar and Meteor missile.
Several pro-Pakistani and pro-Chinese social media users have heaped praises on what they describe as a deadly combination of J-10C and PL-15 missiles.
“The PL-15E has a range of 150 kilometers. With the active phased array radar of the J-10CE, it can lock and shoot down advanced fighters such as Indian Rafales and Su-30MKI in BVR combat.”
China’s air combat strategies revolve around the PL-15. Developed by the state-owned Chinese aerospace corporation Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the PL-15 is a long-range, active radar-guided air-to-air missile.
It has an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and a dual-pulsed solid-propellant rocket. With the addition of a two-way datalink, the AESA radar becomes an extremely adaptable weapon that allows for accurate targeting and mid-course corrections.
The missile blends maneuverability and speed. It can supposedly reach top speeds of Mach 4 and has an operational range of 200 to 300 kilometres. The missile is compatible with various combat jets, including the J-20, J-10C, J-15, J-16, J-11B, and JF-17 Block-III.
During the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2024, China also unveiled the PL-15E missile—a compact, foldable fin design variant of the PL-15.
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