India recovers China-made PL-15 missile almost intact in 'intelligence coup'

India has recovered a China-made PL-15 missile fired by Pakistan almost intact.

India recovered the missile in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur where it landed in a field, according to visuals that have surfaced in the media.

The recovery of the missile is an “intelligence coup” for India, according to veteran defence journalist Vishnu Som.

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Indian specialists are set to unpack the missile and study it to reverse-engineer it. That would give India an advantage over China that uses a variant of the missile.

“This missile will be opened up and inspected - the findings could end up giving the IAF a huge edge in the years ahead. You can count on the US asking for a look as well,” said Som in a post on X.

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The recovery of an almost intact Chinese PL-15 air to air missile is an intelligence coup for India. This missile, fired by a Pak fighter (J-10 or JF-17) flew more than 100 kms to land in the Hoshiarpur area. This missile will be opened up and inspected - the findings could end… https://t.co/oKllhUDBCR

— Vishnu Som (@VishnuNDTV) May 9, 2025

This is at least the second instance of such a missile being recovered by India.

Earlier, it had been reported that India had recovered fragments of China-made PL-15 missile in Hoshiarpur.

These missiles are likely to be China’s PL-15E variant of the missile meant for export.

The PL-15 is a long-range, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile used by fighter planes. Pakistan’s China-made JF-17 fighter planes are equipped with these missiles. Pakistan attacks on India during the ongoing conflict are the first known combat use of the missile.

The previous report said that serial numbers of the fragments found in Hoshiarpur, P15E12203023 and P15E12203039, suggest that these missiles may have been fired by the same Pakistan plane possibly at the same Indian target.

The most notable part that specialists would look into would be the missile’s ‘seeker system’.

A missile’s seeker system is a critical component that allows it to detect, track, and home in on the target. If the adversary gains access to the seeker system, they can learn about its confidential specifications and capabilities, its vulnerabilities and limitations, and gain insights into counter-measures, jamming, guidance, and other critical aspects.