PL-7

The PL-7 (Chinese: 霹雳-7; pinyin: Pī Lì-7; lit. 'Thunderbolt-7') is the PRC version of the French Magic R.550 air-to-air missile. It is a short-range, Infrared homing missile used by Chinese fighters. It was designed by Wu Shendao, and produced at the Factory 331 (Zhuzhou Aeroengine factory) (中国株洲航空发动机厂).

An Iranian PL-7 (right)

Specifications
  • Length - 2.74 m
  • Diameter - 157 mm
  • Wingspan - 0.66 m
  • Weight - 89 kg
  • Warhead - 12.5 kg
  • Speed - Mach 2.5
  • Range - 0.5 to 14 km
  • Guidance - Infrared homing

Operational history

During the late 1998–2001 Zimbabwean intervention in the Second Congo War, Air Force of Zimbabwe BAE Hawks were reportedly modified to be armed with PL-7s for air interception missions in support of Zimbabwean and Laurent Kabila's government forces.[1]

Operator
 Bangladesh
 People's Republic of China
 Iran

References
  1. "HAL's Gamble – Will the "Advanced Hawk" break into the Export market?". 17 February 2017.
  2. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2020). "Chapter Six: Asia". The Military Balance. 120 (1): 255. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707967. S2CID 219627149.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.