India faces a significant strategic challenge with the introduction of the Chinese PL-17 long-range air-to-air missile into Pakistan’s arsenal, potentially mounted on Pakistan Air Force (PAF) J-10C fighters. 

This missile, with a reported range of up to 400 kilometres, dramatically threatens the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) critical high-value airborne assets such as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft, aerial refuelling tankers, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms.

India must seriously reconsider its strategic air defence posture due to the emergence of China's PL-17 missile system in Pakistan's arsenal, which poses a significant threat to Indian Air Force's (IAF) high-value aerial assets such as AWACS and refuelling tankers.

During the 2025 Operation Sindoor, the IAF successfully shot down a Pakistani AWACS approximately 300 km away, crippling Pakistan's aerial command and control capabilities, as noted by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh. 

AWACS aircraft serve as airborne radar and control centres, essential for real-time airspace monitoring, battle coordination, and early warning against enemy aircraft, drones, and missiles. Their loss severely degrades a nation's situational awareness and aerial threat response capacity.

China's PL-17 air-to-air missile, with an impressive operational range reportedly up to 400 km, challenges the status quo by providing Pakistan with a standoff anti-AWACS capability previously reserved for major powers like the US and China.

Integrated onto Pakistan's J-10C fighters, the PL-17 threatens to neutralise IAF's "Big Birds"—namely the Netra and Phalcon AWACS, IL-78 refuelers, and long-range maritime surveillance aircraft. These assets are critical for extending India's radar coverage and maintaining front-line operational effectiveness.

The initial setbacks faced by the IAF, attributed to underestimating Pakistan Air Force's J-10C fighters equipped with PL-15E missiles, underscore the growing air combat challenge.

The PL-15E already outmatches many IAF Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, and the newer PL-17 further exacerbates this disparity by enabling Pakistan to engage high-value aerial platforms from longer distances with high precision.

Consequently, the IAF will be compelled to reposition its AWACS and refuelling aircraft deeper within its own territory, thereby shrinking their effective surveillance envelope and shortening early warning timelines.

This redeployment will adversely affect India's ability to maintain air superiority and provide timely intelligence and support to frontline operations, diminishing the strategic advantage that airborne early warning and control systems traditionally confer.

The introduction of China's PL-17 missile into Pakistani service delivers a leap in standoff offensive capability, threatening the survivability of India's airborne command, control, and support platforms. 

India must urgently adapt its aerial defence doctrine and consider technological or tactical countermeasures to preserve the effectiveness of its AWACS and refuelling fleets, which are linchpins in contemporary air warfare.​

Based On The Week Report