Indian Rafale Shot Down by Chinese PL-15 Missile at 200 km Range in May 2025 Battles

A Pakistani J-10CE fighter jet likely shot down an Indian Rafale at a distance of approximately 200 kilometers using the PL-15E air-to-air missile.

This information comes from a study by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), citing statements from Pakistani government officials.

The report highlights that air clashes between Pakistan and India during Operation ‘Sindor’ in May 2025 provided valuable, though incomplete, insights into the combat capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army of China’s aircraft and missiles, compared to Western and Russian models.

During a series of long-range battles, at least one Indian Rafale fighter, as well as a Su-30MKI, were shot down, and possibly two or three more Indian aircraft.

Hitting an airborne target at such a distance is an extremely rare occurrence.

The actual launch range of the missile is influenced by a range of factors, including the speed and altitude of the carrier aircraft, the target’s movement parameters, and the guidance geometry.

At the same time, the declared range of the export version of the PL-15E missile is about 145 kilometers, while the actual hit, according to available data, occurred at a distance of around 200 kilometers.

This could indicate that Pakistan received not the export version, but the domestic Chinese version of the PL-15 missile, which has a declared range of 200–300 kilometers.

Pakistani specialized publications previously reported that approximately a week before the outbreak of hostilities, China allegedly supplied Pakistan with a batch of missiles directly from its own military stockpiles, which are not subject to export restrictions.

Originally, the PL-15 missile was developed for use with China’s stealthy J-20 fighters, which led to the shortened design of its airframe to fit into the aircraft’s internal bays.

The missile is equipped with an active radar homing seeker and a bi-directional data exchange channel, allowing the aircraft to adjust the missile’s flight path, while the missile can transmit telemetry data back to the carrier.

The long flight range is provided by a dual-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor, which helps maintain high energy during the final segment of the trajectory.