Pakistan showcases China's PL-10E air-to-air missile on JF-17 jet at World Defense Show 2026.

Pakistan presented the PL-10E, the export variant of China’s PL-10 short-range air-to-air missile, mounted on the JF-17 Block III fighter jet, at World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia.

At World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan presented the PL-10E, the export variant of China’s PL-10 short-range air-to-air missile, alongside the JF-17 Block III fighter jet. The missile features an imaging infrared seeker, thrust-vectoring propulsion, and a reported range of up to 20–30 km depending on launch conditions. It is intended for integration on modern fighter aircraft to provide close-range air combat capability with helmet-mounted cueing and counter-countermeasure resistance.
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Pakistan presented the JF-17 Block III multirole fighter jet armed with the PL-10E short-range air-to-air missile, pairing its latest fighter configuration with an export variant of China’s fifth-generation within-visual-range missile. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

At the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan presented the JF-17 Block III multirole fighter jet armed with the PL-10E short-range air-to-air missile, pairing its latest fighter configuration with an export variant of China’s fifth-generation within-visual-range missile. The display linked the aircraft and missile as an integrated air-to-air package focused on close combat, helmet-cued targeting, and high off-boresight engagements rather than on extended-range interception. The PL-10E shown alongside the aircraft is derived from the in-service PL-10, a missile that entered Chinese service in 2015 after development that began in 2004, design approval in 2010, and production initiation in 2013. The pairing at the exhibition highlighted the compatibility between the Block III configuration and a modern imaging infrared-guided missile optimized for high agility and counter-countermeasure resistance.

The PL-10, known in Chinese as 霹雳-10 and assigned the NATO reporting name CH-AA-9, was developed in the People’s Republic of China by the Luoyang Electro-Optics Technology Development Centre, part of China’s air-to-air missile research structure. The chief designer was Liang Xiaogeng, and early images of the missile, then identified as PL-ASR, appeared online in 2008 before formal service entry. Development began in 2004, the design was approved in 2010, and the missile entered production in 2013 before achieving initial operational capability in 2015. It was conceived as a short-range, infrared-guided air-to-air missile for new-generation Chinese fighters, including the J-10C, J-16, and the fifth-generation J-20, with future integration also linked to the J-35. The missile has been integrated on retractable or covered pylons and internal bays, depending on the aircraft type, including lateral bays on stealth fighters.

In terms of general characteristics, according to available information, the PL-10 measures about 3.0 m in length, with a diameter of around 160 mm, while some entries list 0.17 m or 0.13 m, depending on configuration references. Therefore, the PL-10 is broadly comparable in length to the Russian R-73 at 2.93 m and slightly shorter than the AIM-120 at 3.66 m, but it is larger in diameter than IRIS-T and AAM-5 missiles. Launch weight is cited at 89 kg in one specification set, with other figures ranging up to about 105 kg or 110 kg in alternative listings. Its reported maximum range of 20 km, with some entries indicating up to 30 km under specific conditions, places it within the standard envelope of modern short-range air-to-air missiles, remaining below medium-range systems such as AIM-120C-7 or R-77, which operate well beyond 70 km.

The PL-10's maximum speed is commonly reported at about Mach 4, with one listing placing top speed at Mach 4.9 or 4,939 km/h. The propulsion system consists of a solid-propellant rocket motor equipped with thrust-vectoring control vanes and free-moving tail control wings, enabling turn performance exceeding 60 G and high angles of attack, which aligns with thrust-vectoring designs such as IRIS-T and AIM-9X rather than earlier third-generation missiles limited to lower turn rates. The PL-10 missile also carries either a blast-fragmentation or expanding rod warhead, with a detonation system combining laser proximity fuze and impact fuze functions, and warhead mass is cited as 33 kg. Unlike older infrared-guided missiles such as the R-60 or early AIM-9 variants that required near-nose alignment, the modern seekers of the PL-10 permit high off-axis shots without extensive aircraft maneuvering. However, compared to radar-guided beyond-visual-range systems such as PL-15 or AIM-120D, the PL-10 relies on infrared imaging rather than active radar homing, limiting its engagement range but reducing dependence on radar emissions.

The guidance architecture centers on a multi-element imaging infrared seeker capable of all-aspect targeting and tracking targets at up to ±90 degrees off boresight, placing the PL-10 in the same engagement category as the AIM-9X Block II and IRIS-T, both of which are designed for high-angle helmet-cued engagements. The seeker can be slaved to a helmet-mounted display, allowing pilots to designate and engage targets by line of sight without aligning the aircraft's nose with the threat. The missile supports lock-on before launch and lock-on after launch modes, with the latter using inertial guidance and datalink updates until the seeker acquires the target. Imaging infrared technology enables discrimination based on target shape rather than solely on heat intensity, reducing susceptibility to traditional infrared countermeasures such as flares.

One variant replacing the imaging infrared seeker with a miniature active radar seeker and modified radome was first observed in 2022, representing an alternative that would conceptually shift the missile closer to short-range active radar systems such as the Derby, though still within a compact form factor optimized for internal carriage. To remember, imaging infrared guidance allows discrimination based on target shape and thermal signature pattern rather than simple heat intensity, which reduces vulnerability to decoy flares compared to earlier generation infrared seekers. In contrast, radar-guided missiles such as AIM-120 or R-77 rely on active radar homing and can be affected by electronic jamming, although some incorporate home-on-jam logic. The PL-10 family emphasizes infrared counter-countermeasure performance rather than extended radar-driven reach, positioning it as a dedicated dogfight missile rather than a long-range interceptor.

The PL-10 design is described in some entries as potentially influenced by the South African A-Darter air-to-air missile, although it evolved through successive tail-fin configurations before reaching its current stepped trailing-edge layout. Early images showed different rear stabilizer shapes, including designs closer to Japanese AAM-5 tail geometry, before transitioning to the present configuration with enlarged tail fins and mid-body strakes to maintain maneuverability after motor burnout. The missile has been displayed at international exhibitions, including Zhuhai 2016, where the PL-10E export variant was presented as an upgrade option for existing fourth-generation fighter fleets or as part of a package with aircraft such as the J-10B or FC-31. The PL-10E is identified as the export version, and Pakistan is linked as a potential first foreign operator for the JF-17 Block III program. The export framing positions the missile as compatible with both new-production fighters and upgrades to earlier aircraft equipped with helmet cueing systems.

Integration on the J-20 stealth fighter includes carriage in two lateral internal weapons bays located behind the engine intakes, each housing a single PL-10 missile, while larger PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles are carried in central bays. The J-20 side bay mechanism features a launcher that rolls outward with the missile while minimizing door-open time, enabling rapid deployment during close combat while managing radar signature exposure. In a dogfight scenario, the pilot can extend the launcher and prepare a high off-boresight lock-on after launch shot without prolonged bay door exposure. This carriage concept mirrors the internal short-range missile configuration of U.S. fighters such as the F-22 and F-35, which also separate short-range and medium-range missile storage to balance stealth and engagement flexibility. In this respect, the PL-10 fulfills a similar tactical function to AIM-9X on U.S. fifth-generation fighters, while the PL-15 assumes the beyond-visual-range role comparable to AIM-120D. Nevertheless, the PL-10 missile has also been observed on wingtip pylons of fighters such as the J-11 and on advanced variants of the J-10, confirming its broad integration across multiple Chinese fighters.

Within the Pakistani context, the JF-17 Block III integrates an active electronically scanned array radar, updated avionics, helmet-mounted sighting systems, and a revised airframe intended to reduce radar cross-section relative to earlier blocks. The aircraft is associated with the integration of both PL-10E for short-range combat and PL-15 for beyond-visual-range engagements, expanding the air-to-air spectrum available to the platform. Earlier JF-17 blocks carried PL-12 or SD-10 medium-range missiles and short-range weapons such as the R-73, while Block III adds compatibility with newer missile classes supported by improved sensor fusion and cockpit systems. The pairing shown at the World Defense Show 2026 thus links a specific fighter configuration to a specific short-range missile, which remains optimized for short-range agility and terminal maneuver performance, in contrast to beyond-visual-range systems such as Meteor or PL-15, which emphasize no-escape-zone expansion through propulsion technology.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.