TL-7 Anti-Ship Missile
KD-88 (Kongdi-88) is an anti-ship missile built by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation distributed brochures for two new missiles, the TL-2 and TL-7, at the Singapore Airshow in Februar 2016. TL stands for "Sky Thunder", although the structure and mission of these two missiles has nothing to do with "Sky Thunder" guided weapons. AVIC is China’s state-owned enterprise responsible for the export and sales of defense and commercial aviation products. Its functions are similar to that of Russia’s defense product export company. In fact, both TL-2 and TL-7 missiles are products of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
CATIC officials stated that the TL-7 is an anti-ship missile that can be launched from fighter jets, ground devices or ships (TL-7A, TL-7B, and TL-7C respectively). The turbojet engine enables this missile to cruise at Mach 0.8 to 0.85, and its range is 180 kilometers. According to Richard Fisher, a senior researcher for Asian military affairs at the International Evaluation and Strategic Research Center, the TL-7 missile made its debut as an export version of the "air-to-ground"-88 precision guided air-to-surface missile. The "-88 missile was carried by the JH-7A fighter-bomber produced by Xi'an in 2006 and 2007 into the active service of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Fisher said: "The Air-to-Ground-88 missile is the first optically guided medium-range ground attack missile equipped with the JH-7 aircraft. The Air-to-Ground-88/TL-7 missile (of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group) It is a derivative product of the C-802/YJ-82 anti-ship missile family of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, but it can now be said that this missile is specifically designed to compete with the anti-ship and ground attack missiles of the Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation."
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