PL-15 Vs Meteor: Does The Chinese Missile Give Pakistan Air Force An Edge Over Indian Rafales?

In February 2019, just over six years ago, the Indian Air Force (IAF) was involved in its first air battle in decades—a fierce skirmish with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) that unfolded over the Line of Control. The outcome did little to bolster the IAF’s image. The details of that chaotic day remain murky, obscured by a web of claims, counterclaims, disinformation, and outright propaganda from both sides, each eager to declare victory.

Yet, amid the haze, one undeniable truth emerged for the IAF: the PAF held a critical advantage in beyond visual range (BVR) combat.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the gap in capability, noting that if India had possessed the Rafale jets at the time, the outcome of the battle would have been very different. He remarked that none of India’s fighter jets would have been lost, nor would any of Pakistan's attacking aircraft been spared, saying that the timely acquisition of Rafale would have made a difference.

His words weren’t solely about the Rafale jet itself but rather a transformative capability it brought to the table—the Meteor missile. But more on the Meteor later.

Pakistan’s BVR Edge

The roots of Pakistan’s BVR superiority trace back to the post-9/11 era, when the United States, eager to bolster Pakistan as an ally in the war on terror, provided extensive military aid. The West, happy to oblige Pakistan for its support, equipped Pakistan with the weapons of Rawalpindi's choice. This support enabled the PAF to modernise its F-16 Falcon fleet, steadily eroding the IAF’s numerical and technological edge.

By 2019, the PAF operated a diverse F-16 fleet, including 18 F-16C/D Block 52+ aircraft inducted in 2010, 13 F-16A/B ADF variants acquired from Jordan between 2014 and 2016, and 44 F-16A/B Block 15 models upgraded through Mid-Life Update (MLU) programs by Turkish Aerospace Industries from 2010 to 2014 (Pakistan Air Force). The Block 52+ variants represents the pinnacle of Pakistan’s air combat capabilities.

Over the years, the PAF has ensured that nearly all its F-16s, except the Jordanian ADFs, were fitted with the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-68(V)9 multi-mode radar, enhancing target detection and tracking (F-16 upgrades).

The most significant upgrade, however, has been the integration of the AIM-120 C-5 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), a beyond-visual-range missile with an active radar seeker and a range of approximately 100-120 km.

In 2006, Pakistan ordered 500 AMRAAMs as part of a $650 million deal, with deliveries beginning in 2010. This missile, widely used by NATO forces, gave the PAF a decisive edge in BVR engagements, a capability it lacked during the 1999 Kargil War. It was this edge in BVR engagements that blunted India's response to Swift Retort - Pakistan's response the IAF's surgical strike in Balakot following the Pulwama attack.

But as India has started tightening the screws on Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, the conversation in Pakistani defence circles has shifted. It wasn’t the AMRAAM that dominated discussions but the Chinese PL-15 missile, touted to outrange even the capabilities brought to bear by the IAF's Rafale fighters.

PL-15 Missile

Development of the Chinese PL-15 missile likely began around 2011, with its operational service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force starting in late 2016.

The missile, an advanced version of the PL-12 BVRAAM, can reach speeds of Mach 5. It boasts a maximum range of 200 to 300 km, with various sources reporting different figures. The missile is equipped with a two-way datalink that enables guidance updates between the missile and the launching aircraft.

The PAF is the first export customer for the PL-15. It has integrated the PL-15 with its Chengdu J-10C Firebird fighter ground-attack aircraft and is also equipping it on the Chengdu JF-17 Thunder Block III. The Block III variant features an AESA radar, replacing the mechanically scanned radar of earlier models to enhance targeting capabilities.

The PAF is believed to have the export version of the PL-15 missile, Fwhich is reported to have a significantly lower range of around 145 km.

However, there has been some speculation that Pakistan may possess the same PL-15 version used by the PLA, rather than the export model.

On April 29, the PAF released a video on its YouTube channel showcasing a JF-17 Block III armed with four PL-15 BVR missiles, marking the first official confirmation of the missile’s integration with this platform. Pakistan received its initial batch of PL-15 missiles in 2021, and the Block III variant entered PAF service in 2023.

While other weapons shown in the video were identified as export versions, the PAF did not specify this for the PL-15, suggesting it might be using the same version as the PLA. If verified, this would mark the first time a foreign military has been equipped with the full-range variant rather than the shorter-range export model.

The long-range strike capability offered by the PL-15 missile has been widely touted as a significant edge for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Some commentators on the Pakistani side even claim that it surpasses the performance of the Meteor missiles equipped on India’s French Rafale fighters. But does this advantage truly exist?

Meteor Missile

As with most missile systems, the maximum range of the Meteor remains a closely guarded secret. Nevertheless, most authoritative sources estimate that it can engage aerial targets at distances of up to 130 miles (approximately 200 km) from the point of launch. Its true operational range likely falls somewhere between 120 and 200 km.

Like all air-to-air missiles, however, Meteor's range is not a fixed number—it is highly dependent on a host of variables, including the heading and manoeuvring of the target, as well as the altitude and speed of the launching aircraft.

Regardless of the exact figures, Pakistan may be celebrating too soon.

What truly sets the Meteor apart is not its raw range figure, but its underlying propulsion system. The missile employs a solid-fuel, variable flow ducted rocket—commonly referred to as a ramjet—instead of a traditional single-stage solid rocket motor.

This design allows the Meteor to throttle its engine output across different phases of flight, unlike conventional rocket motors that discharge all of their energy in a single, continuous burn cycle.

When a standard missile is fired, it produces a fixed amount of thrust over a limited period, regardless of the tactical situation. If the target is relatively close and the missile reaches it while still powered—or shortly after motor burnout—it retains high energy during the terminal phase. This allows for aggressive manoeuvring, enabling the missile to stay on target even as the adversary attempts last-second evasive manoeuvres.

However, if the target is farther away, the missile typically climbs to altitude during the boost phase, then coasts through the remaining flight on momentum and altitude advantage, descending toward the target during its terminal phase.

If the target lies within range and the missile is still at a higher altitude, it may dive on the target during its final approach in order to preserve energy and increase manoeuvrability. But fundamentally, the farther the missile has to travel, the less energy it has remaining when it matters most—during its terminal attack phase. That lack of endgame energy can critically reduce the missile's ability to hit manoeuvring targets at long range.

This is precisely where the Meteor’s ramjet propulsion delivers a decisive advantage. Because it can throttle its engine output, it is capable of cruising at moderate power to conserve fuel during the midcourse phase and then accelerating during the terminal phase.

As a result, even at extended ranges, the Meteor can enter its final attack at or near maximum energy, traveling at speeds up to Mach 4.5. This ensures that it retains maximum agility and kinetic advantage, regardless of the distance it had to cover.

Not only does this allow for more aggressive manoeuvring in the final seconds of flight, but it also dramatically increased the size of the missile’s “no escape zone.”

In operational terms, this means the Meteor can chase down and successfully intercept targets over a wider range of scenarios—including those that would normally fall outside the effective kill envelope of traditional missiles. It can continue to pursue fast-moving or evasive aircraft with a significantly higher probability of success at long distances.

Thus, Meteor’s superiority lies not merely in its range, nor in advanced sensors or a larger motor, but in its fundamentally different—and more intelligent—propulsion approach.

No Edge For PL-15

For the PAF, the PL-15 does offer better capability, but it offers no edge over the Meteor.

In a study for the Royal United Services Institute, researcher Justin Bronk concluded that the "PL-15 outranges the latest AIM-120D model" but isn't more capable that the Meteor.

According to Bronk, the PL-15 has "a comparable maximum range to the Meteor," but he further observes that "the European weapon will likely retain a significantly larger no-escape zone and a much higher probability of kill beyond 100 km due to its ramjet propulsion system."

These conclusions were drawn from his discussions with serving Royal Air Force and United States Air Force fast jet pilots, conducted in 2020.