Popular Mechanics:
The Chinese Air Force is building a mystery missile designed to turn the tables on America’s air power advantage. The weapon, tentatively known as PL-XX, is a very-long-range missile designed to strike enemy aircraft loitering just beyond the edge of an air battle.
The point is to shoot down the tankers, airborne early warning planes, and other support aircraft that U.S. combat jets rely upon during wartime. Stripped of these forces, U.S. air power would operate at a serious disadvantage, shifting the air battle in China’s favor.
The new missile, spotted in 2016 at the Zhuhai Air Show, is the subject of a new article at Aviation Week & Space Technology. PL-XX carries the typical “PL” designation common to Chinese air-to-air missiles. At 18 feet long, PL-XX is thought to have a range exceeding 100 miles, the typical maximum range of air-to-air missiles.
