Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

People’s Liberation Army has been equipped with the Thunderbolt -12 super-horizon-air missiles

newspaper freelance writer Zhang Yanming

recent years, the Chinese Air Force fighter appeared frequently trigger a new global media hot, “but it must be pointed out that the aircraft is used to carry weapons platform, no sophisticated weapons, no matter how powerful aircraft only ‘a toothless dragon disease’.” British “Jane’s Defense Weekly” recently published article that , knew quite well the Chinese are trying to create a wide variety of airborne weapons, from improved air to air missiles, air-ground missile for multiple targets to precision-guided bombs all-encompassing.

“air king” performance than expected

article said that in air weapons, air to air missiles over the horizon is the absolute king. At present, China’s main export products for personal use, and -10 series of lightning from Luoyang Optoelectronic Technology Development Center (612) development, but also the first radar guided the development of air to air missiles. In fact, this missile is F -10, F-11B fighter aircraft supporting development, early in the century, the F-10 and F-11B is still in construction stage, the Chinese Air Force designated 612 as they developed over the domestic visual range air to air missile to replace the performance and delivery are not reliable Russian-made R-77 missiles.

lightning photos -10 missiles had already appeared in 2001, but its specific performance parameters than by the China Aerospace Technology Import and Export company in overseas trade show. Lightning -10 with the outside world often developed by the U.S. Raytheon AIM-120 “AMRAAM” par, that resembles the appearance of the two, guided much the same way, but longer and more severe lightning -10, dynamic performance than the AIM- 120 a little better. The missile has a maximum range of about 70 km from the solid rocket boosters.

Lightning -10 with active radar guidance, flight use of inertial navigation, the flight carrying the last paragraph of the radar lock on their own goal. Last November, the 612 experts to the air show in Zhuhai “Jane” told reporters that the missiles have “dual-mode” to find the function – both active homing, passive homing can be. If this news is true, means that the lightning performance of -10 more advanced than previously estimated. Currently, there are two models, the family Lightning -10 – -10 Lightning and Lightning-10A, the latter is 10 cm long, weight 19 kg, said to range has improved, but the most important improvement is to improve the reliability, and further reduce manufacturing costs.

China’s ambitions not limited to lightning -10 missile, in Zhuhai Air Show last year, posted on news that China has created at least three new extended-range air to air missiles, in chronological order are Perak 12 (setting time for the 2006 to 2008), Perak-12C (setting time from 2006 to 2010), Break-12D (setting time for the 2010). In addition, there is a super-21 Thunderbolt known as the long-range air to air missile is still under development and expected to shape the time in 2012.

dragged down short-range missile engine development

and long-range air to air missiles, the Chinese short-range air to air missile development speed becomes slow. Currently, the Chinese fighter using mostly 1980s level product, can not be comparable with similar weapons in Europe and America. As compensation, China is still importing large quantities of Russian-made R-73 missile, the missile although some old, but still higher than the other Chinese-made air column filled with an effective short-range missiles.

According to publications of record, in the 1980s, China introduced a basilisk from Israel-3 missile, and the development of China-made by copying the Perak -8 missile, which has more thrust, burn time longer rocket engine, more sensitive seeker. Photo shows the F-10 and F-11B aircraft will be mounted combat patrol when the missile. China is also the Perak -8 based on the development of an upgraded version of the Thunderbolt -9 missiles, regarded as China’s most advanced short range air to air missiles of active duty.

is worth noting that, “Jane’s” also reported that the disclosure of several future China’s short-range air to air missile, code-named Charlie one of the infrared-guided missiles -10 caused widespread concern in Europe and America. Some people think that the fact is China’s missile technology research and development in South Africa earlier reference to the thunder-ASR missile follow-up model, is said to complete a period of 2011. Russian scholars have analyzed the Chinese short-range air to air missiles important reason for the slow development is the lack of small engine production technology, coupled with the main unit 612 of the limited effort in the development of BVR air to air missiles over elongated front.

made unmanned aerial vehicles will be equipped with precision bombs

airborne weapons, the ground is the largest ammunition manufacturing difficulty, because the ground is far interference factors much more complex than the air. According to “Jane’s” report, nearly 10 years, China has launched a series of radar-guided bombs (formerly GPS plus inertial guidance, radar and GPS is now the composite guidance), performance is rising, while actively developing standoff weapons, Some models have emerged in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force fighters, bombers, and Army Aviation’s unmanned aerial vehicles, armed helicopters.

China Aerospace Science and Technology is developing the “FT” series of precision-guided bombs, including 500 kg of FT -1 and 250 kg of FT-3. If you have installed extended-range device, FT and FT -1 -3 -2 bomb can be upgraded to FT and FT-6, a range of 90 kilometers and can hit the enemy headquarters, factories, ports, communications centers and ground forces. The same company is also developing small-diameter bombs soar -5, focusing on their playing between 55-75 kg, the use of semi-active radar seeker, the carrier aircraft or ground forces, precision guided the terminal, mainly used to destroy hiding in the population agglomerations goals. It is said that the PLA plans to carry a bomb in the domestic Rainbow -3 UAVs.

In addition, China is still last year’s Zhuhai Air Show, on display at another small-diameter Ray Stone -6 guided bombs, which includes 50 kg and 100 kg models.