Air combat is an increasingly significant aspect of modern warfare, so air-to-air missiles (AAMs) are important weapons for fighter aircraft. Like much of China’s military equipment, many of its AAMs were developed from scratch. After generations of development, they have become an important part of the country’s air defense arsenal.

    The Pili-1

    The Pili-1 (NATO reporting name AA-1), the first of the Pili (“Thunderbolt”) series of AAMs, is modeled on the K-5, the Soviet Union’s first radar-guided AAM. Developed in the mid 1950s, the K-5 was fitted to the MIG-17 and MIG-19 fighters. China began making missiles similar to the K-5 when its air force was equipped with MIG-19s in 1958. In November 1963, the Pili-1 went into type approval tests, which were finalized five months later. It was followed by mass production and the Pili-1 went into use by China’s air force.

    The Pili-1 comprised a warhead, a missile bay, an engine bay, a stability control and gas supply bay, and a radio bay. Weighing 82 kilograms, with a range of 5 to 7 km, the 1.88-meter missile had a maximum operating speed of mach 2. Its fragmentation warhead, weighing 13 kg, was designed to carry high explosives and a proximity fuse, allowing for a kill-radius of 7 meters. Due to their backward technology and poor motility, the Pili-1 was mainly intended for deployment against slow-moving targets such as bomber and transport aircraft. Production of the Pili-1 stopped in 1974.