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Pakistan’s Combat Use of China’s PL-15E missile in Operation Sindoor — And How India Turned a Missile Threat Into a Strategic Opportunity

By News24Media | Investigative Defence Report

⏳ The Backdrop: Operation Sindoor and the First Combat Use of the PL-15E Missile

The 2025 India–Pakistan confrontation—now widely referred to as Operation Sindoor—erupted after a series of coordinated terror strikes across Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. India launched a calibrated but forceful retaliatory campaign, targeting terror infrastructure and Pakistani military nodes supporting cross-border infiltration.

As Indian Air Force (IAF) squadrons executed deep-strike and suppression missions, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) responded by deploying its most modern Chinese-origin platforms:

• J-10C (Firebird) multirole fighters
• JF-17 Block III Thunder is equipped with advanced sensors and missile interfaces

It was during these engagements that Pakistan fired multiple PL-15E missiles (beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles -BVRAAMs), marking the first confirmed combat use of China’s most advanced export missile.

🎯 The PL-15E Missile That Didn’t Deliver: How the IAF Neutralised the PL-15E

According to senior IAF officials and ground investigations, Pakistan launched several PL-15E missiles during the early dogfight and intercept attempts.

Yet, crucially:

“Not a single Indian Air Force fighter was shot down by a PL-15E during Operation Sindoor.”
—Senior IAF officer

What Went Wrong for the PL-15E Missile?

Multiple missiles:

• Failed to track their intended targets
• Lost datalink guidance midway
• Went significantly off course
• Crashed intact inside Indian territory—primarily in Punjab and Rajasthan

Several recovery teams retrieved:

• Propulsion units with dual-pulse burn patterns
• Two-way datalink modules
• Inertial navigation systems (INS)
• AESA radar seekers that survived with minimal damage
• Fragmented internal wiring and microelectronics

These components, now in Indian custody, are being examined by DRDO, the IAF’s Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) directorate, and associated missile research labs.

🔍 What Exactly is the PL-15/PL-15E Missile? A Technical Breakdown

The PL-15 Missile is China’s most advanced long-range BVRAAM, developed by the Luoyang Electro-Optical Technology Development Centre (EOTDC).

Key Features (based on open-source data):

Why It Was Hyped as a “Game-Changer”

• China marketed the missile as a counter to the American AIM-120D
• Pakistan saw it as a tool to dominate the medium-to-long range envelope against IAF jets
• Analysts (e.g., RAND, The Drive’s War Zone, CSIS Missile Threat) argued the PL-15 Missiles could “alter South Asian airpower calculations”

But Operation Sindoor Raised Hard Questions

The disappointing combat performance—including PL-15E missiles missing targets and crashing intact—has now forced defence analysts to re-evaluate China’s claims.

🧬 Inside India’s Intelligence Windfall: The PL-15E Comes to DRDO Labs

The recovery of largely intact missile remnants is being described by officials as a “once-in-a-generation intelligence opportunity.”

India now has access to:

• Propellant samples to understand burn sequencing
• Seeker design of the AESA front-end
• Ku-band radar components
• Processor boards and signal-domain electronics
• Datalink architecture and encryption behaviour patterns
• Algorithmic behaviours inferred from the missile’s failed guidance path

Why This Matters

1. Reverse Engineering Potential
   • While India will not copy Chinese tech, studying failure modes and component layouts is vital to countering future threats.
2. Countermeasure Development
   • IAF and DRDO can now build more effective EW pods, decoys, and jamming signatures tailored to the PL-15/PL-15E family.
3. Boost to Indigenous Missiles
   • Insights will likely feed into Astra Mk-II, Mk-III, and upcoming long-range air-combat weapons.

International Interest

According to defence officials, several Western and Asian partners have quietly communicated interest in:

• Joint assessment
• Missile seeker forensics
• Propellant chemistry analysis
• ECCM vs. ECM modelling

This mirrors historical patterns—such as the West’s intense interest in Soviet/Russian missile debris recovered during previous conflicts.

China’s Discomfort: Diplomacy Meets Denial

Chinese official responses have been:

• Evasive when asked about PL-15E Missiles failures
• Insistent that “export variants” differ from domestic ones
• Sensitive to questions from foreign correspondents at Beijing briefings
• Silent on Pakistani claims of “successful firing”

Notably:

Beijing reportedly issued informal diplomatic feelers asking India about the “status of debris” and “international norms for returning foreign-origin military hardware.”
—Foreign policy observers (pattern similar to China’s stance after UAV crashes in other countries)

India’s position is clear:

“Missile debris recovered on sovereign Indian territory is subject to Indian investigation.”

There is no legal obligation to return it.

✈️ What This Means for Future Air Combat in South Asia

1. India Gains Critical Insight Into Chinese Missile Engineering

The PL-15E’s failures and intact recovery have given DRDO and IAF analysts a rare look inside China’s premium missile technology.

2. Indigenous Missiles Will Improve Faster

Insights will accelerate:

• Astra Mk-II & Mk-III
• Long-range Infrared missiles
• EW pods for Su-30 MKI, Rafale, LCA Mk1A, Mk2

3. Pakistan’s Dependence on Chinese Tech Is Now Under Scrutiny

The PAF had sold the PL-15E Missiles as a strategic equaliser. Instead, Operation Sindoor:

• Dented morale
• Raised questions about Chinese reliability
• Put Pakistan in a bind, reliant on a system whose weaknesses India now understands

4. China’s Arms-Export Image Has Taken a Hit

With nations like:

• Egypt
• Saudi Arabia
• Indonesia
• UAE

Evaluating Chinese BVRAAMs, the PL-15E Missiles’ disappointing performance may generate buyer hesitation.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s first combat use of the Chinese PL-15E missiles during Operation Sindoor was intended to showcase a new era of long-range air dominance.

Instead, it revealed:

• Operational vulnerabilities in China’s most marketed BVRAAM
• IAF’s superior electronic warfare, tactics, and survivability
• A major intelligence victory for India
• Embarrassment for China and strategic discomfort for Pakistan

By turning a missile fired in anger into a technological windfall, India has gained insight that will shape the next decade of South Asian air combat—and accelerate the rise of indigenous missile programs that no imported system can easily match.

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