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The PL-17 (NATO reporting name: CH-AA-12 Auger^[1]) or PL-20 is an active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the People's Republic of China for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The missile has claimed range more than 400 km (250 mi) and is intended to target high value airborne assets (HVAA) such as tanker and early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.^[2]^[3]^[4]

History and development

The missile was tested on a Shenyang J-16 fighter in 2016,^[5] and can also be deployed on Chinese imported Su-30MKK and Su-35 fighters.^[6] It's understood that PL-17 is a separate development from the ramjet-powered PL-21 (PL-XX).^[3]^[7] In October 2022, Chinese state media reported that the PL-17 entered PLAAF service.^[8]

Design

PL-17 is much larger than other long-range air-to-air missiles, at 6 m (20 ft) long (whereas PL-15, AIM-120 are measured around 4 m (13 ft) long), which contains more solid fuel. The extended length makes the missile unfit for the internal weapons bay of the Chengdu J-20. During the flight, PL-17 would rely on inertial guidance, satellite navigation, and data-link to track targets. During the terminal phase, the missile would turn on its multimode seeker with both active AESA radar, passive sensors,^[2] and IR-homing to track the target autonomously. The missile features a low-drag profile, and maneuverability is provided by four small control fins and thrust-vectoring engines.^[9] The missile is powered by a dual pulse rocket motor and flies in lofted launch trajectory^[2] to achieve the reported range between 300–500 km (190–310 mi) by various media, or 400 km (250 mi) class by Royal United Services Institute^[9] with a top speed in excess of Mach 4.^[7]^[8]