IN THE MILITARY

AIR FORCE ALARMED AT CHINA'S NEW MISSILE

General on PL–15: 'How do we counter that?'

Cheryl Chumley

The U.S. Air Force’s highest ranking officers have publicly and privately expressed alarm at China’s newest air missile, the PL–15, with one general asking outright at a public forum: “How do we counter that?”

Gen. Herbert Carlisle, the head of the Air Force’s Air Combat Command, expressed concerns on at least two public occasions about China’s new missile, which touts a high-tech radar seeker and extremely powerful motor that allows it to strike at targets more than 60 miles away.

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“Look at our adversaries and what they’re developing, things like the PL–15 and the range of that weapon,” he said, during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., reported by the Daily Beast.

His remarks were delivered the same day China test-fired the weapon.

“How do we counter that and what are we going to do to continue to meet that threat?” he asked, the news outlet said.

The following day, Carlisle’s concerns were reflected in a separate interview with Flight Global. Then, he said: “The PL–15 and the range of that missile, we’ve got to be able to out-stick [out-shoot] that missile,” the Daily Beast reported.

It’s still not clear if the PL–15 bests the AIM–120, America’s air-to-air missile. But the Air Force is reportedly concerned about the fate of its fleet and its ability to successfully compete against other nations’ craft.

“The PL–15 is only one of the worries,” said Peter Goon, an analyst for Air Power Australia think tank, to the Daily Beast. “The bigger one is the fact the F-35A JSF carries only two AIM-120s – that will be keeping [Carlisle] up at night.”

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/air-force-alarmed-at-chinas-new-missile/#oqRtVRzqC8FKWKfv.99