Today, the most advanced missile and fighter jet technology of the Chinese Communist Party’s Air Force is not entirely developed on its own! From Thunder-1 to Thunder-10, there lies a bloody yet opportunity-filled curve behind. What truly propelled the modernization of the CCP’s military industry wasn’t the Soviet Union or France, but Israel.
Back in the day, Israel generously provided assistance by delivering a complete set of production lines for the Python-3 missile to China, bringing not only the missile itself but also the seeds of a modern military industrial system. Without this assistance, there would be no Thunder-10, J-10 fighter jets, or even the rise of drones today.
According to a report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Israel is referred to as the primary supplier of complex military technologies to China. Tel Aviv is providing China with equipment for target interception and fire control used in navy YF-12A, YJ-62, and YJ-92 cruise missiles, radar systems, onboard radars, optical and communication equipment, drones and aviation simulators, tank thermal imaging systems. The Chinese Air Force aircraft are equipped with Israel’s Python-3 air-to-air missiles (1,500 pieces) and have developed the Thunder-8, Thunder-8I, Thunder-8II, and Thunder-9 air-to-air missiles. Additionally, Israel has also assisted China in developing the Red Flag-9/FT-2000 surface-to-air missile.
China’s modern aviation industry is supported by Russia on one hand and Israel on the other. China imported the Su-27 series from the Soviet Union and Russia, and based on this, it first replicated the J-11 and later developed improved versions – J-15 and J-16.
At that time, Israel provided technical assistance to China on its self-developed Lion fighter jet, which China replicated to create the J-10. However, having just fighter jets is not enough; they need to be paired with air-to-air missiles to be more effective. While China imported R-27, R-77, and other air-to-air missiles from Russia, China didn’t fully trust Russian technology. Previously, replicating Russian technology was not viable, a desperate move as Western weapons were not available for purchase for China’s reference.
In the 1980s, Israel’s provision of the Python missile allowed China to taste Western technology for the first time. At that time, China imported the entire production line of Python-3 missiles, not only providing technical drawings but also greatly enhancing China’s manufacturing processes and project management capabilities, resulting in the production of Thunder-8 air-to-air missiles still used by the Chinese Air Force today.
Before analyzing Israel’s Python missile, let’s briefly review China’s development of air-to-air missiles to understand how significant Israel’s missile was in enhancing China’s air-to-air missile technology.
China’s first air-to-air missile was called Thunder-1, with its technology originating from the Soviet Union. Shortly, China developed Thunder-2, inspired not by Germany but by the United States. During a battle in 1958 over Wenzhou Bay, China’s MiG-15 and MiG-17 encountered 12 F-86 fighter jets from the Republic of China, equipped with American-provided Sidewinder missiles. This historic battle marked the first combat use of Sidewinder missiles in history. The Republic of China emerged victorious, downing nine MiG aircraft without any losses on their side.
One Sidewinder missile that didn’t explode and fell to the ground untouched was captured by China. Sharing the remains with the Soviet Union, China, and reverse engineering performed by Soviet experts resulted in the AA-2 Atoll air-to-air missile. The USSR then transferred the missile technology to China, leading to the Thunder-2 air-to-air missile, essentially a Chinese replica of the Soviet copy of the American Sidewinder missile.
Despite receiving technology from the USSR, China’s industrial capabilities were very low at the time, compounded by the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, resulting in the Thunder-2 missile’s poor reliability. As China’s relations deteriorated with the USSR, losing their technical support, China struggled, subsequently attempting to develop Thunder-3 and Thunder-5 missiles without success, never entering service. Even in the mid-1980s, China’s mainstay J-7 fighters still had to be paired with the outdated Thunder-2 missiles.
At this point, China realized that developing air-to-air missiles with their technological prowess was a daunting task. Their solution was to learn from Western countries. In the 1970s, China successfully acquired the technical data of the French Magic missile, equipped on the Mirage III fighter jets, through Pakistan.
The data on the Magic missile surprisingly came from Pakistan to China. Many Chinese media outlets have verified this claim, stating that by the late 1970s, Pakistan, maintaining relatively friendly relations with the West, acquired the French Magic short-range air-to-air missile. Upon obtaining the Magic missile, Pakistan promptly provided the missile’s technical data, maintenance data, and even some components to China for free. They even sent pilots and technicians trained in France to assist China in researching the Magic missile technology. A Russian magazine once wrote that the Magic missile helped improve China’s air force combat capabilities by 10 years.
At that time, China had two research units to reverse-engineer the Magic missile. One was the 612 Institute in Luoyang, who developed the Thunder-6 project, which was unsuccessful. However, the 331 Factory located in Zhuzhou, Hunan successfully replicated the missile with Pakistan’s assistance, resulting in the Thunder-7 missile.
The Thunder-7 missile became China’s most advanced short-range air-to-air missile at the time but had a flaw – though it was a reverse-engineered version of the French Magic missile, its manufacturing process and product quality did not match Western standards.
During the late 1970s, Israel saw an opportunity. They started developing the Python-3 air-to-air missile, with its design in 1975 and the delivery of prototypes in 1981. In 1982, during an aerial battle in the Bekaa Valley, where Israel emerged victorious and unscathed against Syrian losses, the Israeli Air Force prominently used F-15 and F-16 fighter jets loaded with various missiles, including Israel’s Python, the American Sidewinder, and Sparrow missiles. Among them, the Python missile downed 35 Soviet aircraft, accounting for 40% of their overall success rate.
The Python-3 missile utilized a nitrogen-cooled indium antimonide infrared seeker, significantly enhancing its side-lock capability. It was equipped with a pair of X-band antennas on each side for receiving and transmitting signals, aiding in detonation near targets for omni-directional attacks. Additionally, it featured a two-stage solid rocket engine, with a maximum range of 15 kilometers, surpassing any of the Chinese Air Force’s previous combat missiles.
In 1982, China signed a contract with Israel, purchasing 1,500 Python-3 missiles for $500 million, introducing the missile and its proprietary production technology. This led to the establishment of the Air-to-Air Missile Development Center in Luoyang, based on the production line from Israel. In September 1983, the “Project 8” officially commenced, initiating the implementation of the acquisition contract. Just five years later, in 1988, the Thunder-8 entered service with the Chinese Air Force.
China’s introduction of the Python-3 missile from Israel allowed them to fully grasp air-to-air missile technology for the first time. Moreover, it significantly improved China’s manufacturing processes, product quality, and project management capabilities, far beyond the scope of the PL-8 missile itself. It enabled China’s military industry to engage with Western standards for the first time, understanding the manufacturing process of the modern Western military industrial system, with deeper implications than imagined.
Building on the success of the Thunder-8 missile, China subsequently developed the Thunder-9 and Thunder-10, with the Thunder-9 being the export version. The Thunder-10 is currently the mainstay air-to-air missile of the CCP’s Air Force, starting its development project in 2004, completing the prototype in 2013, and making its debut at Zhuhai Airshow in 2015. It is now the primary combat missile of the Chinese Air Force.
We have briefly reviewed China’s development history of close-range combat missiles today, from reverse-engineering the fallen Sidewinder missile from the United States and developing the Thunder-2 based on Soviet technology to later unsuccessful projects like Thunder-3 and Thunder-5, before turning to Western technology. They obtained the technical data of the French Magic missile through Pakistan and developed Thunder-7. Subsequently, China introduced the production line of the Python-3 missile from Israel, leading to the development of Thunder-8, marking a breakthrough in domestically produced missiles. Ultimately, based on Thunder-8, China developed Thunder-10, becoming the main combat missile for the Chinese Air Force.
Undoubtedly, without Israel’s military assistance in the past, China would not have the current air-to-air missile technology, the J-10 fighter jet, Thunder-10 air-to-air missile, early warning aircraft, and even drone technology. However, in 2023, when Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists, China not only failed to condemn the terrorist attacks but continued to provide various forms of assistance to Hamas. Israel’s military support in the past objectively propelled the rise of the CCP’s military industry but resulted in current isolation and betrayal in international ethical terms. Perhaps Israel should reassess its relationship with China and make a more discerning judgment.
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