Free Republic

Rumors about China’s latest PL-10 short-range air-to-air missile have been circling for the last two years. Speaking during a Chinese television interview, the missile’s chief designer revealed that the missile is nearly complete, and offered new key details. Designed by the Luoyang Electro-Optical Research Institute (LEOC), images of the fifth-generation PL-10 first surfaced in 2013. Carried onboard the J-20 fighter, the missiles have also been seen on the J-11, a copy of the Russian Su-27. Based purely on those photos, experts were able to confirm that the PL-10 utilizes thrust vectoring. Its large fins also likely give the missile high...