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PL-4

The PL-4 [Pili = Thunderbolt, or Pen Lung = Air Dragon] was China's second design and manufactured air missile. It was China'sfirst design of a semi-active radar-type air to air missile. The Pili-4 air-to-air missile was developed by the 612 Institute of the Ministry of Aviation Industry of China (now Luoyang Sunshine Electric Technology Development Center) and Zhuzhou Aero Engine Factory in 1966. The ground prototype test of the prototype components was completed in 1980. Its performance can not meet the requirements of use and the development was stopped.

In July 1981, it was transferred to the second phase of development. In 1984, the first batch of prototypes, launchers and ground maintenance equipment were produced. The development was stopped in 1985 because its performance could not meet the requirements of use. It adopts the aerodynamic shape and layout similar to the American "Sparrow" 3A (AIM-7D). Two pairs of fully movable trapezoidal wings are installed in the middle of the body to control the rudder and ailerons. Four fixed triangular stabilizers are installed. At the tail of the projectile, it plays a longitudinal stabilizing role. At the same time, the missile also adopted a scheme commonly used in the design of air-to-air missiles with the former Soviet Union/Russia, that is, the "one bomb, two noses" scheme. Through the exchange of two different seekers of semi-active radar and passive infrared, a semi-active radar. There were two types of passive infrared missiles, code-named "Thunderbolt" 4A (PL-4A) and "Thunderbolt" 4B (PL-4B).

The AIM-7 "Sparrow" is a mid-range semi-active radar-guided air-to-air missile manufactured by the United States. After World War II, the United States began to develop this type of missile. Until its entry into service in 1955, it had all-weather and omnidirectional attack capabilities, and various modifications had been in service until the 1990s. It was the main equipment of the US Navy and Air Force. As the representative of the second generation of air-to-air missiles, the AIM-7 missile has been in service for more than half a century, with the US military moving to more than half of the earth. It shot down many MiG series fighters, including MiG-25 (Israeli Air Force record) and Iranian F-4 fighters. Generally speaking, it has advanced performance and is a rare good equipment after actual combat tests.

In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, US F-4 fighter jets participated in large-scale battles and were equipped with the latest AIM-7E air-to-air missiles at the time. The maximum flight speed reaches Mach 3 and the theoretical range can reach 26 kilometers, but many problems have been exposed in actual combat. Mainly the actual range is short, the lock-in time is too long, and the hit rate is low. It is understandable from the scientific research level at that time. Although the performance was insufficient, dozens of fighters are still shot down in actual combat.

During the same period, China's J-5 and J-6 fighter jets were still dominated by artillery in air combat, and the "Pili-2" missile was equipped with an imitation of the American AIM-9. The Pili-2 was picked up from a missile launched by the US plane, and it was transferred to the Soviet Union to reversely imitate the K-13 and then imported for imitation. Although it served as the main force, its performance was not as good as the prototype.

However, there were quite a lot of unexpected gains in those years. In 1965, the AIM-7E missile launched by the United States on the Vietnam battlefield missed its target. The key is that it did not explode, but landed relatively intact. At that time, the garrison antiaircraft artillery troops were asked by the local people to repair the damaged house. It was only found that it did not appear to be damaged naturally. Then, based on the traces of the scene, the missile body was found in the nearby bamboo forest. It was the AIM-7E "Sparrow" that the US plane missed the target.

Another story is that the U.S. aircraft's backseat weapons officer accidentally fired the missile, and it landed without exploding. In any case, it is a fact that the "sparrow" was captured, and then China began to imitate it based on it. In March 1966, the development of the Pili-4 began. This is the first semi-active radar-guided air-to-air missile built by my country. The design of a missile with two ends and a three-service general model was initially considered.

With one missile and two ends, the Jili-4A (A) semi-active radar-guided type and the Jili-4B (B) infrared guided air-to-air missile were developed at the same time. The three services are common (one bomb with multiple types), and the Hongqi-41 ground/ship-to-air missile (later "Hongqi-61" air defense missile) is developed on the basis of the Pili-4, but it is basically a chicken rib equipment that is backward since its birth.

With a total weight of 150 kilograms and a head-on attack range of 18 kilometers, the Pili-4 and the 206 radar form my country's first airborne over-the-horizon interception fire control system, which was originally planned to support the J-9 fighter under development. With the discontinuation of the J-9 project, the Pili-4 switched to supporting the J-8II fighter.

Although there was no mass production and installation, the experience accumulated in the development process laid the foundation for the subsequent development of the Thunderbolt series. In the 1980s, the "Viper" air-to-air missile (imitated from the AIM-7 missile) was introduced from Italy. And based on this, successfully developed the Pili-11 missile. In fact, half of the success was based on the accumulation of the previous Pili-4. Both models have a common mother, but the imitation target models were different.