China has claimed to have developed and tested a ground breaking beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile with a claimed range of 1,000 km, which is significantly longer than existing BVR missiles worldwide, including those mounted on Rafale, F-35, and Sukhoi jets.

This missile reportedly travels at hypersonic speeds (around Mach 5 or more), enabling it to strike even fifth-generation fighters such as the F-35, F-22 Raptor, and the B-21 Raider from an unprecedented distance, potentially before these aircraft can react or engage.

This new missile drastically surpasses current top BVR air-to-air missiles like Russia’s R-37M and the American AIM-174B, both of which have ranges around 350-400 km, and also outmatches India’s BrahMos missile and Astra MK series in terms of range and speed. The Meteor missile, used on Rafale, has an operational range exceeding 100 km, which is dwarfed by the Chinese missile’s 1,000 km capability.

The significance of this missile lies in its ability to alter air combat strategies fundamentally. Its range and hypersonic speed mean that Chinese aircraft equipped with it can target enemy fighters and strategic airborne platforms (like AWACS and AEW&C aircraft) from well outside the enemy's radar detection and engagement envelopes. This capability could neutralise advanced stealth fighters and large support aircraft before they are capable of mounting any offensive action.

China aims to deploy this missile primarily in strategic zones such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, expanding its regional power projection and challenging air defence tactics of countries like India, the US, Japan, and Taiwan.

India, currently operating Astra MK-1 with an 80-110 km range and developing MK-3 hypersonic BVR missiles up to 350-400 km range, faces a significant challenge matching this Chinese leap. Indian defence research agencies such as DRDO and ISRO are collaborating to improve missile performance, but current Indian missile technology remains far behind in terms of range and speed compared to China’s new missile.

BVR missile technology enables launching attacks on enemy aircraft beyond the pilot's visual and radar range, relying on advanced radar, sensors, navigation, and fire-and-forget capabilities. The Chinese missile under discussion benefits from possible support from stealth drones and high-altitude reconnaissance platforms for target acquisition at extreme distances.

Operation Sindoor Exposes Chinese Propaganda And Weapons Shortcomings

Operation Sindoor, conducted by India in May 2025 in response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, decisively exposed the significant shortcomings and underperformance of Chinese-supplied military weapons used by Pakistan. These weapons, constituting over 80% of Pakistan's arsenal, including key air-to-air missiles, radars, air defence systems, fighter jets, and drones, proved inadequate under real combat conditions when pitted against advanced Indian and Western-origin systems.

A prominent example of Chinese weapons’ failure was the ineffectiveness of Pakistan’s air defence systems—namely the HQ-9P, HQ-16/LY-80, and FM-90—which were unable to detect or intercept Indian missile strikes. Indian forces successfully bypassed or jammed Pakistan’s radar and air defence, allowing BrahMos and SCALP missile strikes to penetrate deep into Pakistani territory. The high-performance PL-15 air-to-air missiles launched by Chinese J-10C fighter jets also failed to register any confirmed hits on Indian aircraft. Indian officials suggested that supposed Pakistani claims of downing Indian jets were likely decoys or misinformation, with debris from PL-15 missiles having landed harmlessly in India, indicating a failure to strike targets.

Chinese-origin drones like the Wing Loong II, armed with AR-1 laser-guided air-to-surface missiles, were also intercepted before causing damage. These drones demonstrated poor survivability and precision compared to their Western counterparts such as the MQ-9 Reaper. This raised concerns about the stealth and operational capabilities of Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles in contested airspace.

The overall poor performance of Chinese military hardware during Operation Sindoor has had major strategic implications. It damaged China’s reputation as a reliable global arms supplier and cast doubt on the combat readiness and effectiveness of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), particularly given China’s ambitions for dominance in other theatres such as a potential invasion of Taiwan.

Analysts have pointed out deficiencies in Chinese electronic warfare systems that Indian Xgard decoys exploited effectively, exposing gaps that would be catastrophic in conflict scenarios against advanced Western and allied forces.

Furthermore, critical components such as the engines on Chinese J-10C fighter jets lack the thrust and efficiency of engines on India’s Rafale jets, a factor that contributed to India’s air superiority during the conflict. Pakistan’s dependence on downgraded Chinese systems—often obsolete compared to those China uses domestically—further exacerbated these performance issues.

Experts, including Srikanth Kondapalli from JNU, confirmed that Operation Sindoor demonstrated the limitations of Chinese military technology in real combat conditions, emphasizing exposed shortcomings particularly in air defence systems. The operation's outcomes also have broader implications for China's ambitions as a global arms exporter and for regional military balances, including plans related to Taiwan.

In sum, China’s new 1,000 km hypersonic air-to-air missile marks an unprecedented advancement in BVR technology, potentially redefining the future of air combat by outranging and outpacing top Western and Russian missiles, thereby posing a severe strategic threat to modern air forces, including those operating Rafale, F-35, and Sukhoi aircraft.

Agencies